


The Change made by Preparation

by marioalando



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Elemental Magic, F/M, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Good Severus Snape, Grey Harry, M/M, Magically Powerful Harry, Magically Powerful Neville, Manipulative Dumbledore, Molly Weasley Bashing, Mpreg, Powerful Susan, Ravenclaw Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 23:11:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6829129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marioalando/pseuds/marioalando
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the Potters were more prepared for the eventuality of Voldemort. What if these plans were shared by the Longbottoms, who were long-time allies of the Potters. How much different would Harry's and Neville's life be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This is only the beginning

“Does Mr. Potter have his key", asked the creature Hagrid identified as a goblin.

"NO", came the response from the 11 year old wizard before Hagrid could offer a response.

"In that case I will escort you to the Potter Family Account Manager for the necessary testing to be done. In the interim, Griphook will escort you to Vault 713."

As Hagrid was led away young Harry was led down a series of tunnels before coming to stop before a door made of Ebony with a crest embellished on it. The bank teller knocked on the door. It didn't take a long time before they were admitted to the room behind the door. The room was very simple. It had a large desk with chairs on either sides of it. The Goblin sitting behind the desk was positively ancient.

"'Mr. Potter is here to prove his identity and retrieve his Vault Keys," explained the Teller.

"So, you are The missing Potter Heir child?" asked a surprisingly smooth voice with a dangerous edge. Harry was now very nervous. He responded with a nod that showed how nervous and unsure he was.

"Well, let’s see how true that is," stated the elder Goblin while extracting from his desk a small ceramic bowl which displayed the same crest as that on the door.

"Come closer child," beckoned the elder Goblin with a beautiful silver dagger, "This will not hurt you if you are of the Potter bloodline." he grasped Harry's hand when he was in close proximity. With precision that indicated experience, the elder Goblin cut Harry's palm and allowed the blood to drain and collect in the ceramic bowl on the desk. Before Harry could react, the cut had been healed by the Goblin and his hand released, no pain was experienced.

The elder Goblin then began a guttural chant in a language that Harry could neither identify nor believe. The Ceramic Bowl began to glow Royal Blue, Silver and Emerald green. The glow intensified until Harry swore he was going to go blind. He tried to look away but found that he could no longer move or talk. Just when he thought this was the end of his very short life, a figure appeared in the midst of the light. It started small and continued to grow until Harry could finally identify the figure. Heading straight to him was a dragon made of Royal Blue and Silver light. As the goblin chant increased in volume and tempo, so did the size of the Dragon. Harry was now positive that this dragon was going to eat him as soon as it escaped the Bowl to which it was tethered by its tail.

The goblin chant then came to an abrupt end. This caused the dragon to pull away from the bowl and dived towards Harry. He watched with wide eyes as the colossal beast came closer and closer until it entered his chest as if it were not solid. Before he could scream, comforting warmth began to exude from his chest. The warmth made him feel like he was being given the best hug in the world. The warmth of the hug continued until there was a searing pain on his right ring finger. When he looked down he noticed a silver ring was now present on his finger and on the ring was the same dragon emblem that he had seen on the door and the bowl.

When he chanced a look on the elder goblin, he realized that he was smiling, if it could be called that because it belonged on the face of a psychopath. All too soon the warmth began to fade until it was a dull sensation that he could feel if he focused on it.

"Well, that went better than I expected. The Potter Magics didn't tear you apart, which means that you are in fact Haddricus Potter, Heir to the Ancient and Valiant House of Potter," explained the ancient goblin with a shrug, "I have been your accountant for the past 350 years, you may call me Bloodspear, Heir Apparent Potter."

"It’s nice to meet you Mr. Bloodspear," whispered Haddricus, and then he fainted.


	2. The Ancient and Gallant House of Longbottom

“Young Master needs to bes waking up,” squeaked a voice piercing through pleasant dreams. He rolled over to face the opposite direction.

“Master Neville musts bes waking snows to meet Lords Kents and his gransies on time.” That final statement got him to roll out of his bed.

“Thank you Kavs, I’m awake now. Inform my Grandmother that I will meet her in the family dining room in in a few minutes.” 

With his task completed and a new task issued Kavs left to do so. Neville entered his bathroom to complete him morning routine. He stared in the mirror at the young man that stared back at him. Today was the most important day of his life. All the preparation and classes with his family steward, Lord David Kent, and the Switzerland International School of the Magical Arts has led to this day where he was to prove himself to the Longbottoms Family Magics.

Life had not been easy for Neville, especially in the wake of his parents being tortured into insanity. After the tragic event, his grandmother Lady Dowager Augusta Longbottom nee MacAuley was appointed as his guardian. Control of the Longbottom’s vast Family estate was given to his father’s god-brother Lord David Kent. His parents were then laid to rest a year and a half after their tragedy, when the healers of St. Mongos Hospital for Magical Maladies deduced that their condition was irreversible, after many specialists and treatment methods.

In the year that followed he was believed to be a squib by his family due to his lack of accidental magic. This was disputed by Lord Kent who had witnessed Neville’s magic while his parents were alive. This led to him being magically scanned by the curse-breakers of Gringotts. The scan revealed that his magical core was blocked by 65%. The 35% left unblocked was just enough for him to be admitted to Hogwarts. He was however not powerful enough to be identified by international magic schools. When the block was removed his life changed. He was no longer ridiculed by his family for his lack of magic and Lady Longbottom finally allowed him to have play dates with other children, his favorite being Cayden Kent. Cayden was the 7th child of Lord Kent. Lord Kent was married to a quarter Naiad (sea nymph) whose creature blood made him highly fertile.

When he was six years old, the High Chancellor of the Switzerland International School of the Magical Arts turned up at Longbottom Hall. He revealed that Neville was enrolled at the School of the Magical Arts. At first he and his grandmother were reluctant to accept, but Lord Kent informed them that Alice and Frank had made provision for young Neville to attend this school for the five years before he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To seal his attendance is the fact that two of his playmates, Cayden and Susan Bones, was to attend the same school.

The School of the Magical Arts was a boarding school in Switzerland that catered for student from 6-18 years old. The initial five years had students boarding from Monday to Thursday and returning home for the weekend. This ensured that the students gained some independence while not being too homesick. 

His first year curriculum consisted of Languages (French Latin and Greek), Magical Theory, Physical Education, Flying, Art and Muggle Affairs where they interacted with the muggle world through field trips. His second year saw the introduction of courses like Potions Theory, Herbology, Basic Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, and Italian and Russian added to his language studies. 

In addition to his academic schooling, he, Cayden, Susan and Luna Lovegood, began lessons with Lord Kent and Lady Longbottom in Etiquette, Estate Management, Politics, History and Etiquette. Neville was doing so in preparation to become Lord of the Ancient and Gallant House of Longbottom, Cayden was doing so in preparation to become Lord Consort to an Ancient House like his papa (hopefully), and Luna and Susan in preparation to become Ladies of their houses (and any their spouse may be entitled to). 

The next four years saw a transformation in young Neville that none thought possible. He gained a quiet confidence and was known for his magical strength, that while not the most powerful in the class he was in the top 5 of his year group. He was a quiet person but became a beast if provoked as many bullies realized when they decided to pick on his friends in his presence. He was grooming himself to be perceived worthy by the Ancient Family Magics of the House of Longbottom.

The Longbottoms were known as an Ancient house when the founders of Hogwarts decided to build Hogwarts. They were considered Ancient when the romans invaded the British Isles. They could trace their ancestry back to the Indigenous British Druids that ruled the lands before the Romans. They were also one of the nine families to hold the title of Duke in the magical world (Black, Nott, Greengrass, Ollivander, McMillian, Peverelle, Potter and O’Brian were the others). This title was granted by King Arthur himself for the Ancient family’s aid in Merlin’s war against Morgana. It was a proud heritage that Neville had to continue and build on, and he believed that he was prepared to do just that.  
The 31st of July marked the first time he would encounter the Family Magics. He was now 11 years old (his birthday being the day before) and if accepted by the Family magics he would be recognized as Heir Apparent of the House of Longbottom. He quickly showered and got dressed as it was unacceptable to be tardy. When he entered the dining room he saw that Lord Kent had already arrived.

“Merry meet Lord Kent and welcome again to Longbottom Hall,” acknowledged Neville as according to tradition. He then turned to his grandmother, “Merry meet grandmother, I hope you are well today.”  
“Merry meet Heir Longbottom and thank you for your welcome,” replied Lord Kent. His grandmother gave a stiff nod in acknowledgement but her eyes shone with approval and pride.  
“Lacey!” a sharp pop indicated the arrival of the elf. “Could we please have some breakfast?”  
“Oh yes Masters Nevies, Lacey be right back with your breakiefast.” With anther pop she was gone. When Neville took his seat at the right of the head of the table (the head being left vacant as there was no Lord of the House present), breakfast appeared on the table accompanied by Lacey who waited patiently to be dismissed. When she was dismissed the wizards and witch clasped hands.

“We thank you Mother Magic for your provision, so mote it be.” This blessing was accompanied by a quiver of one’s magical core to show magic’s acceptance. They then began to eat their breakfast and talk about the events that were to take place later that day.

******************

Neville stared at the imposing white building that was located in the middle of Diagon Alley. Beside him stood Lord Kent, with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Neville’s nerves were making themselves known through his sweaty palms. With a nudge, they began to ascend the steps that led into the Bank. The bank was relatively empty and thus there was a short wait before they were seen by the teller.

“Well met Master Goblin. Heir Longbottom is here to participate in his ascension ceremony, could we please be escorted to Elder Sharpelance please,” explained Lord Kent.

“Well met Lord Kent. We were just about to contact you” stated the goblin. Upon seeing the puzzled expression on Lord Kent’s face he explained, “Heir Potter was escorted here today by Rubeus Hagrid and underwent his ascension ceremony. As the steward of the Potter Family, we thought you would like to know that your charge has been located and his identity confirmed.”

Lord Kent’s eyes were as wide as saucers in his surprise. He has been in an ongoing battle over the placement of the Potter Heir, with the Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore, for nearly a decade. The Chief Warlock had tried to have the Potter wills sealed after he had hidden the Potter heir, but this was stopped by The Potter solicitors led by Lord Kent. The will revealed that David was the Steward of all things Potter and was named as a potential guardian of their son in the event that his god parents were unable to take care of him. With Alice being dead along with Sirius Black who was kissed before he could be given a trial, the guardianship of Haddricus Potter now belonged to him. Dumbledore had managed to gain physical guardianship of the boy on the arguments of his safety and blood wards (which David believed to be a lie). 

When Dumbledore tried to take control of the Potter Estates as Haddricus’ physical guardian, he was promptly denied by the Wizengamot, who feared retaliation from the Potter Family Magics for their disregard of the Potter Will’s stipulation of guardian for the Heir Potter. David had spent the next decade rebuffing Albus’ attempts to capture the Potter estates and trying to locate the Potter heir secretly. He was surprised to see that Albus dropped the ball in allowing Harry to undergo the Heir Ascension.

He turned to Neville, “I’m sure you will be fine and you will be found worthy by your ancestors’ magic. I have to deal with this immediately. When you are finished ask to be escorted to the Potter Family Accountant, so that you can meet your god brother in person.” They were then led off by two different goblins down two different tunnels.

*************

With Neville

He took a deep breath before he knocked on the door bearing the Longbottom Family Crest. He was quickly admitted by the elder goblin.  
“Well met Elder Sharpelance’” Neville said with a brisk voice, “I am here for my ascension ceremony.”

“Well met young heir. I hope you have been briefed on the procedure, and are ready to begin,” Sharpelance replied while retrieving the Longbottom Ceremonial Bowl. 

With a nod Neville stepped forward while extending his right hand, palm facing up. With the aid of a ceremonial silver dagger, a clean cut was made and the blood collected in the bowl. When enough was collected, the cut healed itself (a property of the dagger). Sharpelance began a guttural chant which caused the Family Magics residing in the bowl and in Neville’s blood to react and call forth the family Totem made of brown and leaf green coloured magic (the color of the Longbottom crest and family magics). The Longbottom’s Family totem was a Dire Bear - a huge magical bear that only attacked when provoked or in the defense of its family. As the chant continued, the totem continued to grow until it was full sized, almost the size of a small house. 

The Dire Bear stared into Neville’s eyes. His nerves got the better of him causing him to fidget. He quickly found that he could not talk or move while he was being judged by The Bear. After what seemed like an eternity, the bear suddenly lunged towards Neville and entered his chest. The warmth experienced by Neville was similar to when his gran gave him a proud look. The next stage occurred so quickly that Neville barely felt the searing pain on his right ring finger that usually accompanies the appearance of the Heir’s Ring. It was a silver band upon which the Longbottom crest was embellished. When the magic receded to the back of his mind Neville was feeling winded but immensely proud of himself.

“Congratulations Heir Apparent Longbottom, I hope our work will be as fruitful as with previous generations,” said Sharpelance.

“Thank you Sharpelance. It is my wish that our coffers will grow to new heights together. I need someone to escort me to see my god brother Heir Potter, if it is not an inconvenience,” replied Neville politely. Sharpelance rang a tiny bell on his desk which caused the door to open revealing a young looking goblin.

“Griphook will escort you Heir Longbottom to the Potter chambers, until the next time we meet young Heir, merry part.”  
With that Neville left the office space into the tunnel, through a series of convoluted turns to meet his god brother for the first time since his parents’ death.

****************

With Lord Kent  
When he entered the Potter Family Account Managers office, he was expecting a young man that resembled his fathers James Potter and Sirius Black with the eyes of Lily Potter nee Evans. It was not common knowledge but due to inbreeding in the black family, Sirius Black was unable to reproduce naturally and thus had passed on his genes through blood adopting the Potter Heir a day after his birth. As a child it was blatantly obvious that he would be a perfect blend of his fathers and mother. The child before him stretch out on a couch unconscious, was a carbon copy of James Potter but not a drop of Sirius Black was observed. He turned sharply to Bloodspear.

“Why is he unconscious Elder Bloodspear?”

“Well met Lord Kent. It seems that the Ascension Ceremony was a little more than his body could handle. It also cause a block on his magic to be broken which sent his body into shock. Our healers have treated him for this shock and he is now in a healing sleep,” covered Bloodspear.

“He seems to have a number of inconsistencies around him. He looks unhealthy and his scar seems to be fresh as though it was caused a day ago and not a decade ago. And then there is the block that was destroyed by the Ceremony,” Lord Kent looked troubled, “Could you have him thoroughly examined by your healers and a curse breaker before he wakes up please.”

With a nod Bloodspear rang for a messenger to call for those required. It took three minutes for the Healer and curse breaker to arrive. It took the healer a further ten minutes to diagnose Harry as malnourished and that his eyes needed to be corrected immediately to prevent any permanent damage. He was prescribed a month on a potion regimen consisting of Nutrient potions and a bone strengthener along with a vision correcting potion that worked over a week long period.

The curse breaker on the other hand had a bit of a challenge. He detected a powerful blood glamour which was a bit tricky but removable. He also detected a blood tethering spell that acted as a tracker (illegal) and finally, he detected two fragments in young Haddricus’ scar. The fragments seemed to be in constant battle according to the curse breaker. He recommended that Harry undergo a magical purge as soon as possible to remove the blood spells and the foreign fragments.

“Can the purge be arranged for today please Bloodspear? Preferably before he regains consciousness, I wish for my charge to be as healthy as possible before he leaves today,” asked Lord Kent.

“It can be ready in thirty minutes,” said Bloodspear with a nod to the curse breaker to set up the procedure.


	3. The Ancient House of Bones and Lovegood

The war against Grinderwald was brutal on the Ancient House of Bones. 

One may wonder why a magical House, whose roots could be traced back to the indigenous Druids, was not a part of the Wizarding Nobility.

The House of Bones has always been neutral in wizarding politics. This fact along with their proclivity in debates and defensive/offensive magics made them ideal members of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, whether as Barristers, Hit Wizards/witches or as Aurors. They followed the law to a fault.

During the war against Grinderwald, the members of House Bones fought against both sides when there was breech of the law, leading them to be highly sought after targets on both sides. They however did endure and was relatively whole.

This made them the first targets of the first war against Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord hunted each member of The House of Bones and killed them personally, usually after a long intense duel. He preferred catching them one by one instead of storming their Family Manor as he was no match for more than one Bones at a time. 

The Bone’s power came from their original magical creature ancestor, the Effrit or fire nymph. When angered it was impossible to stop their tempers from consuming their target. This ability was passed on through the generations, and when it dulled, another Effrit was married into the line to renew that power. They also stayed away from the Pureblood tendency to procreate with close relatives. If their Family Tapestry was viewed, the number of foreign and new blood observed would be staggering.

When the war against Voldemort ended abruptly in 1981, and the dust settled, all that was left of House Bones was a seven year old Heir, Andros Bones, his sister, Susan and their aunt Amelia Bones. 

Amelia was immediately promoted as the head of the DMLE after the disgrace of Barty Crouch Snr. Under her reign the Department saw a total shift in how everything was done. First, she changed the qualification standards and training time and regime. She felt that most Law Enforcement Officers were lost due to inadequate training. She also changed how execution of the law was handled. All paperwork was reviewed by senior aurors before and after the fact. 

She used her seat in the Wizengamot as Regent Bones and a Head of Department, with the aid of her carefully cultivated allies, among which was Madame Longbottom and Earl Kent, she passed several laws that placed the aurors outside of the Ministries total control.

In the years that follow, her department saw a fall in funds from the Ministry, but an increase in successful missions and cases. All her aurors had three masteries, one in Defensive/Offensive magic, another in either Charms or Transfiguration and the final in any other subject. The senior Aurors were required to hold a Mastery in Law. This change was hard fought, but once completed, well received.

She also ensured that House Bones would experience resurgence in the next generation. Andros was contracted to a young half-blood from Italy, and Susan was contracted to the Longbottom Heir. 

Andros continued to attend The Venice School of Magic in Rome where he could meet and get to know his future wife and become a formidable Head of House Bones. Susan on the other hand was enrolled in the same school as her betrothed, Neville. 

Susan, Neville and their friends Cayden Kent and Luna Lovegood were inseparable from the start of their friendship. They grew so close together that Amelia and Madame Longbottom worried about their (Susan and Neville’s) relationship in the future. As time progressed Amelia continued to change how Law Enforcement was done in the British Isle, living up to the legacy of her famous ancestors. She, unlike the rest of the wizarding world, was preparing for the reemerging of Voldemort. She knew that he was not going to die so easily, and all her work was done to ensure that when he returned, both House Bones and the Wizarding world at large would be able to combat his influence effectively.

**************************

Selene and Xenophilius Lovegood were proud to be the parents of the first Lovegood seer in nearly five generations. 

The Lovegood Family originated from Greece. Two years after Hogwarts was built, a young seer, Juniper, from the temple of Delphi in Greece was banished because she desired to have a family of her own. She left the temple and travelled through the continent looking for the man from her visions. She took the name Lovegood for herself and her future children. Not long after she met a young sailor on his maiden voyage to England. She recognized him immediately and sailed with him, using her prophetic gifts to keep the voyage from failing. When they landed he immediately married her and settled down in the new land. They used the wealth obtained to purchase 3 acres of land, and built an altar-like house in honour of Delphi from which Juniper’s power of prophesy came.

They had several children, all female, who received her gift to varying degree. The eldest promised to always be a Lovegood even after marriage. This led to the formation of the Matriarchal House of Lovegood.

Selene Lovegood, the head of House Lovegood, married the youngest Malfoy son who was disowned for not following the ideals of the Dark Lord. She did not possess the power of divination as he notable ancestors, nor was she powerful. She however overcompensated for that with a brilliant mind. She was a spell-crafter to rival Rowena Ravenclaw herself. 

One day, when her daughter Luna was only four, she came into Selene’s workroom and told her that if she arranged the runes of the spell she was experimenting with, in the order she was working on, then she would go ‘BOOM’. Selene was so shocked she stopped what she was doing immediately.

When she reviewed her experiment, she realized her almost grave mistake. She immediately started to look for schools where her Luna was able to attend without being picked on or abused. Two days later, Luna again solved her problem by giving her a set of instruction on allies to cultivate and how to do so. It was very disconcerting to take such advice from a four year old. It was put to rest however, when the instruction paid off. 

Now, Luna had three friends who care for her genuinely as a sister. She was also educated at one of the Primer Magical Schools in the world, which made Selene breathe easier as her daughter would be out of the reach of Albus Dumbledore.

**************************

Neither House Lovegood nor Bones were fans of Dumbledore from the start of his career. They both believed that one man should not be allowed the amount of power Dumbledore wielded. That being said, they worked to temper the views of Dumbledore and his supporters, among the wider population. This task was however, easier said than done. They then moved on to helping their ally Lord Kent custody of his ward, Heir Potter, but even that seemed to be too much for the non-ennobled Houses.

With very little choice left, both Heads of Houses turned inward and ensured that they were prepared for Voldemort’s return. Selene tried to negotiate a contract with Lord Boot for his youngest son, Terry. This stopped when Luna informed her mother that if she did not have the youngest son of the Diggory Family, then she would be most displeased. This meant that Luna was now contracted to the very handsome Cedric Diggory, who would change his name to Lovegood upon their marriage.

In the interim, the Houses prepared for the other shoe to fall.


	4. The Noble House of Kent

The Kent family was a Noble House from Scotland whose history began two hundred years after the founding of Hogwarts. The Kent Earldom was bestowed on the family by King Edward VIII, for their aid during the war against Grinderwald/Hitler. The current Earl Kent was also the second Earl of Kent, David Kent. In his youth he was a curse breaker contracted by Gringotts. 

His father passed away in the 1961 and in order to fulfil his family duties, he married a young Naiad descendant he met in Greece, Alexandros Rivero, and had seven children. He had 5 sons, Gage, Elias, Howard, Riot and Cayden, along with 2 daughters Paige (twin of Gage) and Eleanor. All his children were now of age except Cayden. Cayden, as the seventh child, was also the most powerful of his children magically (because seven is a magically powerful number). That is not to say that the others were magically inferior. All his children had secured at least two masteries for themselves (Eleanor had four) and due to the recent creature blood in their family, their magical strength was immense. Cayden was however, the only child that had a high affinity for elemental magic and the only male that inherited the ability to bear children naturally (without potions) from Alexandros. This made his parents over protective of him.

Growing up, Cayden only had three friends, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Susan Bones. He met Neville and Susan when his father officially became steward of the Longbottom family after the death of the previous Lord and Lady Longbottom. He went to school with Luna, Neville and Susan at the Switzerland International School of the Magical Arts and learned from Lady Dowager Longbottom about being a society husband. At school Neville acted as his and the girls’ ‘protector’. He prevented the overzealous Heirs from badgering them (especially Cayden) too much in their off putting attempts to woo them. Not that Cayden needed any protection. From the age of six, he had begun training his elemental abilities with his papa until it became second nature. He was a formidable opponent when compared to others his age.

“Breathe Cayden. Deep slow breaths. Let the water flow. Don’t fight it. Become one with it,” came the string of instructions from his Papa, Lord Consort Alexandros Kent nee Rivero. When he finally sealed the laceration on the dummy with the water, he slumped in exhaustion. “You did extremely well today Cay. I am so proud of you,” complimented his papa.

“Thank you papa. May I go over to the Rookery today to spend some time with Luna papa. She has been feeling down seeing that she will be at school the whole year without her mom or dad.” Unlike his three friends, David had decided against sending Cayden to Hogwarts in September. He decided that the School of the Magical Arts was ideal for him. There he would be able to gain a Magical Mastery before graduation and make a career for himself without having to make himself marketable to a Noble House. In order to keep them at the same level, he arranged for the four friends to become summer helpers for curse breaking expeditions. This would allow them to study under ward masters and curse breakers which would lead to an early Mastery Award and possibly future employment with Gringotts. Cayden left the training room and head to his rooms to freshen up before visiting Luna. 

*************************

At Gringotts

Lord Kent followed the curse breakers through several tunnels towards the ritual room for the Magical Cleanse of his returned charge, Haddricus Potter. On the way there he was joined by the new Longbottom Heir Apparent.

“Where are we heading Lord Kent,” questioned Neville. He had yet to see his god brother and was a bit worried. “Where is Harry?” he asked looking around for him.

“We are heading to the ritual rooms to perform a magical cleanse on young Haddricus as it seems that there are some illegal enchantments placed on him.” At this Neville’s eyes widened and he increased his pace in an attempt to get to the rooms as quickly as possible.

When they finally got to the ritual room, they located an unconscious Harry laid out in a ritual circle. The circle was made up of thousands of runes and powered by crystals anchored in the ley lines running through Diagon Alley. The goblins activated the runes and the circle began to glow. At first it seemed to have no effect on Harry, until he began to glow a red so dark it could be mistaken for black. The colour was so dark it almost obscured Harry’s body from the others looking on. With no warning, the light haze shattered like glass that had been broken by a rock. The shards were absorbed into the circle. The changes it caused were seen immediately. His cheekbones became sharper, his hair became wavier and his lips became a little fuller. His shoulders also became a little broader but due to the lack of muscle he looked even more malnourished.

Before a sigh of relief could be heard, a crimson red haze of magic was brought forth from his skin. Instead of settling around Harry like a blanket though, it wrapped around his arms and chest like chains. A surge in magic was felt from the circle that caused the links in the magic to break. The magic decayed and faded into the circle with no dramatic flair. The final step of the purge focused on the entities in his scar. The magic from the circle covered Harry’s head like a towel with the area over the scar pulsating vigorously. The scar the split open and two different spirits emerged seeming to battle each other for dominance. The first spirit was pearly white and the other was ink black. When Lord Kent looked closer, he recognized the face of Lily Potter locked in a fierce duel with a face he had hoped to never see again. The second face had a slim nose and red eyes that only could belong to Lord Voldemort. The magic from the ritual circle surged again and began to attack the spirit of Voldemort. In a matter of minutes the spirit of Voldemort was absorbed into the ritual circle.

Just when it seemed to be over, the magic from the ritual circle surged again to combat the spirit of Lily Potter. The battle that began was a terrifying sight to behold for the observers. As hard as Lily’s spirit fought, the magic for the circle was even more powerful.

Just as the spirit was to be pulled into the circle however, there was another magical surge. The Potter Family Totem (the dragon) soared from Harry’s chest and wrestled control of Lily’s shade from the power of the circle. It then gently absorbed her spirit and returned to Harry’s chest quietly.

Throughout this entire episode Harry did not move or react a bit. When the circle’s power was disbanded, the curse breakers then began to run a scan on the Potter Heir. It was revealed that the purge dismantled a smaller blockage on his core that was place by his parents. When he was pronounced as cleared from external influences, Lord Kent came in and retrieved him from the circle and was escorted back to Bloodspear’s office.

*********************

Feeling like a great weight was lifted from him Harry slowly opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was a dragon entering his chest and an old goblin introducing himself as Bloodspear. He slowly began to analyze his surrounding when he noticed that he was still in Bloodspear’s office, but another human was currently conversing with the old goblin. He slowly sat up from where he was on the couch.

“Hi, you are finally awake. I’m Neville. Neville Longbottom, your god brother.” He turned to where the soft voice was coming from. To his right was a tall blond boy, dressed rather expensively. He flushed in embarrassment when he noticed the condition of his own garb.

“It seems that Heir Potter has finally rejoined us Lord Kent,” he heard Bloodspear say. He then focused on the final person in the room. He was a tall man, about 6ft2”, with greying brunette hair. He was well built and wore clothing as expensive as the boy who introduced himself as Neville.

“Hello Haddricus, my name is David Kent. I was a good friend of your father. Before he died he asked me to take care of you in case he couldn’t.” Harry was now puzzled.

“Haddricus, is that my name?” he asked uncertainly “sir” was quickly added before the man could feel slighted.

Lord Kent’s face morphed into a blank mask in an effort to hide his anger.

“Yes child you were named Haddricus James Potter by your parents Lillian Marie Potter nee Evans and James Charlus Potter. Did Albus not tell you this?” Lord Kent asked curiously.

“Who is Albus?” asked Harry confused

“What is the name of your guardian child?” questioned Lord Kent

“Aunt Petunia. Petunia Dursely?” answered Harry questioningly

“Well, it seems as though Dumbledore has seen it fit to contradict the will of an Ancient and Nobel House,” said Bloodspear dryly, “I wonder what consequences he would face if this was brought before the Wizengamot.”

“Wait a minute; I feel as if you are talking about me, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Who is this Dumbledore and what does he have to do with me?”

Lord Kent began, “Well Haddricus you see …”

He launched into a tale of wizarding nobility and heritage. He gave a quick overview of the history of the Potters and in particular Harry’s parents and grandparents. He then explained Ablus Dumbledore’s role in the wizarding world and how he made it possible for Harry to stay with his maternal Aunt. He also explained how schooling was done in the wizarding world.

At the end of his long and convoluted tale Lord Kent asked, “Do you have any questions Harry?”

“How am I supposed to know all this? No one ever told me that I am basically royalty here!” he exclaimed.

“Fret not child. Lord Kent here was charged with your education by your parents. He could not execute this however due to him being unable to locate you. Blame your lack of knowledge on Albus Dumbledore,” soothed Bloodspear.

“Who escorted you to Diagon Alley, Haddricus?”

At the sound of his name Harry beamed in pride. “Hagrid said … Dumbledore asked him to escort me. I guess this is not a good thing?”

“I believe Hagrid has no ill intentions towards you. He however does not have the authority or the expertise to introduce you to our world due to his lack of education.” Upon seeing Harry’s protesting face, he pressed forward in hopes to quell his fire, “He was expelled from Hogwarts before completing his basic wizard training and has no legal wand. This makes him an unsuitable escort. What would happen if you were to be mobbed by adoring fans? He has no way to protect you besides his size, which can be dealt with easily.” At the end of this rant, he could see understanding showing in Harry’s eyes.

“Why don’t we escort him Lord Kent? As his family Steward and his god brother it is expected that we would look after him right?” Neville suggested. “I hope we can get to know each other and be as close as real brothers Harry,” finished Neville shyly.

At his last statement, Harry’s face broke into a great smile.

***************

It took very little time for them to make a decision. Harry would delay his Hogwarts purchase today in favor of taking introductory courses at the School of Magical Arts for the rest of the summer. It was also decided that wardrobe would be obtained after his potion regimen was complete. He also opted to have his physical guardianship be transferred to Lord Kent based on the fact that he is yet to meet the elusive Albus Dumbledore. His glasses were then charmed by the Healers of Gringotts to change with his improving sight.

When he returned to the lobby, a sick looking Hagrid sat waiting on him. Upon seeing Lord Kent his face twisted in incomprehension. Lord Kent explained to him that he was now Harry’s guardian based on his parents will and that Harry had no further need of his service but he was grateful for his friendship. All this time Harry stood silent behind Lord Kent.

As Hagrid walked away, still slightly confused, Harry let out a sigh in relief that there was no confrontation.

“Let us go to the pet store to get you a pet Harry. What do you say? Birthday present for all the missed years?” asked Lord Kent. With wide eyes, Harry nodded with muted excitement. The party of three left the hall of the bank and travelled down Diagon Alley. They then turned on another Alley named Vertical Alley. The first pet store they encountered was called Artimis Glade. A disconcerting pull guided harry into the store and led him down the aisle to the snake tanks. The creature he saw there was small and yellow in colour.

“Ahhhh, this animal is known as a Storm Herald. They act as familiars to Wind Elementals. Tell me child do you feel drawn to it,” an inquisitive voice interrupted Harry’s thoughts. When Harry nodded, Lord Kent stepped forward,

“How much is it?”

“For the young elemental, 50 galleons.”

“Here is 60G. I hope this visit had never happened,” stated the older man to the proprietor.

“Of course my Lord, is there any other way I can help you?”

*****************

They made their way down Diagon Alley back to the Leakey Cauldron. As they walked Lord Kent explained the Floo System and how it works.

“It will take practice to do it gracefully so don’t be embarrassed. Remember to speak clearly and decisively.”

Standing before the fire place, he watched as Neville used the system. Harry’s main thoughts were in his new familiar that was wrapped around his forearm and how his life has and will change. He accepted the floo powder from Lord Kent and stepped into the fireplace. He followed Lord Kent’s instruction.

“Kent Family Manor,” he called out. The sensation that followed was both exhilarating and nauseating in equal measure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who want to know:  
> Luna and Susan got their wands from the same place but on a different day.  
> Susan also got a Fire Drake familiar to match her fire elemental powers (kudos to those who figured it out) and a wand to match with


	5. Becoming a true Potter wizard

A Crash Course in Wizardry 

It has been three weeks since Harry was taken to Kent Manor. It has been three weeks since he began remedial summer lessons via the Switzerland International School of Magic. Well, it would have been three days if he were in a normal situation. According to Lord Kent, his circumstance required a greater amount of time to reverse in comparison to the time that they had to correct it. Through consultation with the High Chancellor, Harry was set up in a guest house on the grounds of the Kent Estate. The guest house was then placed under a time warp. The High Chancellor attempted to explain it to harry but it passed right over his head.

He was then introduced to Sage Makliar (Mac-lee-are), an old magical scholar who had mastered so many areas of magic that he was no longer recognized as a mere Master. Their main goal was to condense four years of education into the four weeks before Hogwarts. He also had frequent lessons in estate management, history of the Potters, Etiquette, Politics and Ballroom Etiquette with both Lady Longbottom and Lord Kent. Neville was usually included in these lessons even though he was so much more advanced than Harry. During these sessions with Neville, they were given topics to research in totality and then debate on; whether they agree or disagree with the topic they were given. Lord Kent explained that it will allow them to anticipate and demolish the opinions of the political adversaries.

Sage Makliar taught several subjects which included: the theory of different branches of magic, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Potions, Herbology, History (Magical and Mundane), Magical Theory, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Italian, and wandless magic. He was yet to receive a wand but he wasn’t bummed out by that seeing as Neville did not have one either. 

At first it was hard for him to remember that he was expected to do his best, but with several meeting with a mind healer, he discarded the ideals of the Dursleys. That is not to say that it was all work, he spent many afternoons (within the time flux) flying with Neville of playing various wizarding games. 

During this time, he had also been countering the damage done to his body due to malnutrition and neglect. It took three months in the time flux to counter the physical deficiencies of his childhood. It took one year to change his outlook on academia with the aid of his mind healer. When he was given a clean bill of health, both Harry and Neville approached Lord Kent for fencing lessons. This idea was introduced to them by Sage Makliar, who indulged them with stories from his day as a duelist. These lessons were approved of and a tutor was hired by the name of Master Steelfist, a Master goblin warrior. With these lessons, Harry was introduced to Cayden Kent, Susan Bones and Luna Lovegood. 

At first Harry was reluctant to interact with the other pre-teens, but as the months passed, they developed strong bonds of friendship. When he found out that Cayden and Susan would not be attending Hogwarts, he was very depressed. It wasn’t until they promised to remain friends forever that Harry could begin to function normally again. 

Dancing was one of the lessons that Harry dreaded at first but grew to like. He often felt uncoordinated and cumbersome when he was in practice with Lady Longbottom, who used stinging hexes quite liberally for missteps. It however made good motivation for Harry to become an excellent dancer with grace aplenty. He eventually grew to like it in his second year under the flux.

Another pastime that Harry enjoyed was hearing stories of his father’s childhood. Lord Kent and Lady Longbottom had many tales about James Potter that made harry feel as though his father was in fact a real person and not an abstract idea. He also found journals from both his parents and paternal grandparents in his trust vault, and had read them several times. These gave an insight into the kind of persons he was descended from. 

After three weeks in the time flux, Harry sat his final exams for year four of the School of Magical Arts. He passed all his subjects with Outstandings, and was place 6th in his year group (Luna was places 2nd, Susan and Cayden tied for 4th and Neville being 7th). Feeling accomplished and with new purpose, Harry left the time flux with one week to go before Hogwarts began on September 1. The only thing left to be done was to acquire his school supplies. To do so they will be going to Switzerland. Harry was excited because this would mark his first trip out of the British Isles.

**************

“Harry I would like to speak with you and Neville in my study please before we leave.”

“Yes Uncle David, I will go and get him from the greenhouse”

When he and Neville arrived at the study they knocked and waited to be admitted to the study.

“Sit boys. As you know, the level of education at Hogwarts has fallen far below International standards. This is why I will not allow Cayden to attend that school. Both of you on the other hand are required to attend Hogwarts based on you family edicts on Lordship ascension. This leaves us with a problem.” He paused to see if they were following his thoughts, “This led me to talk with High Chancellor Griffiths, who informed me of the Independent studies program that the School of Magical Arts offers. They provide their students with a syllabus for their year group and the independent student study at their own pace for that year and in the first week of summer they are assessed by the school. This will make them eligible to pursue masteries under the school’s identity. It will also allow you to get a quality education while still being eligible for your Duchy. What are your thoughts on this, boys?”  
Both boys were in deep thought, reasoning with themselves over the pros and cons of this system.

“I will do it,” resolved Harry verbally, while Neville agreed with a nod.

“Well you are also required to turn in papers and thesis for the courses that you study. Are you sure you can handle it.

“We are going to try Uncle. Better to fail trying, than not to try at all right?” Lord David looked on with a proud smile. 

“In that case, I have signed both of you up for a curse breaking expedition as helpers for next summer. This will help you to practically apply your studies in a controlled but realistic environment. Cayden will also be accompanying you. If all goes well, it can be an annual event.”

At the words ‘curse breaking expedition’, both Neville and Harry looked like they had gone to heaven. It was with a look of awe that they walked to the receiving parlor to portkey to Switzerland. As a noble Lord, David was authorized to enchant portkeys within his estates. With a tap to the rope and a whispered ‘portus’, he enchanted a rope to take them to and from Switzerland.

“Ahhh, there you are Cayden, we are just about to leave. If you would all hold on to the rope we can depart.”

A surge of magic was felt as the hooking sensation took hold of the passengers and pulled them to their destination.

*******************

They landed in the middle of a large shopping district.

“Welcome to Patronos Delectare. Most people here speak English or Latin, so you boys should not have any problem shopping. Let us begin.” With that David led them through the complex.

What happened next could only be described as chaos. When they got to the clothier, Harry’s entire wardrobe was replaced and charmed to be wearable until he hit 5ft10”, which was a few years away. The colossal number of casual and formal pieces, wizarding and muggle, he was forced into and bought was overwhelming for a boy that was raised with nothing. He had to be reminded that he was now a representative of his ancestor’s impeccable history and a beacon of the Potter Family to come. He swallowed whatever protests and allowed Cayden and David to talk over him to the clothier.

Next they visited the Apothecary, where an intermediate potions set was purchased for each of the boys. This was followed by the stationary store. Here they purchased high end quills and calligraphy pens. They also purchased regular cheap quills and maintenance sets for the quills. They bought reams of parchment and several notebooks to which pages of parchment could be added (for their schooling at the School of Magical Arts). They had their books keyed to their individual magical signatures. When they left that store, they were being weighed down by shrunken purchases. The next store they visited was visit the Luggage Depot. Inside they went immediately to the trunks. After a lot of arguments of the merits of each trunk they decided a 5 compartment was the most suitable for their school needs. The compartments included one for clothing, potions and herbology, class material (telescope, brooms), books and stationary and a secret compartment. The entire trunk required 7 drops of blood to activate the blood wards and to power the enchantments (feather-weight, shrinking, gliding).

The book store included purchases for both schools using their acceptance letters. For Cayden it was one set of books. Neville and Harry on the other hand had to purchase two sets of course books. After that was taken care of, they focused on reference book not on their letters, as recommended by the helpers in the store and Lord Kent. They also chose books based on extra-curricular interest, such as ‘Dueling Strategy and Tells by Filius Flitwick’ and ‘A Beginners Guide to Alchemy by Perenelle Flamel’.

Their final two stops were the most interesting of the trip. The first was a Pet Shop, where Harry purchased a perch for Gladius, his Storm Caller Dragon. Here two things happened. The first was that two eggs hatched as Neville and Cayden walked past the exotic creature’s aisles. The first revealed a beautiful ice blue Dragon and the next a Forrest green and brown dragon. They immediately tried to get to Cayden and Neville respectively but were hindered by an enchantment. The owner came and undid the enchantment allowing the teens to get to the newly hatched dragons. 

“Young elementals, not a rare sight but much welcomed none-the-less,” said the proprietor. Two exclamations were heard. When he turned around he realized that the dragons had bitten their partners to formalize their bond. Harry chuckled when he remembered when this had happened to him. He turned to the shop owner to listen to what he was explaining.

“These are Familiar Dragons. They only hatch when they sense their owner’s magic in their area. The blue one is a water/ice dragon and the green and brown one is an earth/forest dragon. The one I sense bonded with you is a wind/storm dragon,” he said to Harry, “they are companions for life and grow with your magical core. I have a book in how to care for them if you would like.”

With an affirmative gesture they bought what was necessary for their familiars along with a vicious looking eagle owl to carry massages between them from Hogwarts to Switzerland. They then left the store and headed to the Wand Crafter’s store.

Lord Kent explained to them that while Olivander’s wands are good tools, they are very limiting. In Switzerland, and other areas of the magical world, the foci were made to fit the preexisting strengths of the individual. In England, the foci forced an individual to adapt a false affinity to certain magics. With that in mind, the boys were excited as they entered the store.

********** 

“Well, hello there boys how may I help you”

“We are her for wands, kind sir, one crafted and one for school purposes,” interruoted Lord Kent before the boys could say anything.

“Well let’s get started, crafted wands first and the school wands.”

The boys were escorted to a storage room, blindfolded and one at a time, instructed to allow their magic to lead them. Harry was lead to a sack of what seemed to be stones; he searched through the sack until one of the stones shocked his magic. He took it out and moved to the next area that called to him. Next, he collected two slabs of wood (equally reactive), a cold metallic substance. He was then led to the core area and let loose. He found three cases that resonated with his magic perfectly. He carried the boxes to the table he was instructed to place his finds with the aid of the shop owner. He was escorted to the waiting area to … wait. Cayden and Neville, like harry found a ‘stone’, two slabs of wood, a metallic feeling substance and three cores. 

When they were all returned to the waiting area the proprietor told them that he will put his work area under a time flux so that their wands will be completed in five minutes. After that they would look for school/secondary wands. 

To the boys it was the longest five minutes ever. 

When the wand crafter returned, he wore a wide smile and carried three carved boxes.

“First, Mr. Black hair, green eyes.” Harry stepped forward. “This is a powerful wand indeed. Suited for offensive and defensive magics and area effective spells, like wards. It is made out of a mixture of Acacia and Elderberry from a mountain top in China. It was embellished with air currents using a piece of methryl mined by Dwarves. At the end of the handle is a clear cut diamond my grandfather found in a temple dedicated to Aeolus in Greece, perfect for a wind elemental. The cores were hard to work with but complimented each other just perfectly. The first is the tail feather from a thunder bird (aka a wind phoenix), along with the hair of a Thestral from Rome, both of these were soaked in the venom of Quetzalcoatl, a winged serpent for your parcel abilities. Use it well.” Harry took the box and opened it reverently to reveal a masterpiece 12½ inches long. He took hold of it and felt a gust of air enter and exit his body leaving him refreshed.

“Next Mr. Sun bleached Blond and Hazel eyes.” Neville stepped forward as Harry stepped back. “This wand what made from a blend of Oak and Elderberry from the fertile plains of India. It is also suited for Offensive and Defensive magics but also flashy, impressive spells, as in the patronus charm. It is embellished with vines using imperial gold blessed in the waters of the goddess Demeter. At the end of the handle is a Garnet, one of the earthiest gems, perfect for an earth elemental. The cores again are suitable I believe. First, there is the heartstring of a Griffin that took 17 wizards to incapacitate it. This is followed by the venom extracted from the sting of a Manticore that killed 15 wizards before the others killed it. Finally there is the hair of a Greek Dryad freely given for saving her tree, very powerful magic indeed. Use it well.” Neville, like Harry took the 13 inch wand from the box he was given. The feeling that flooded him reminded him of how he felt after a long day of working in his garden or greenhouse.

“Last but not least, the Brunette with the ice-blue eyes.” Cayden rolled his eyes at his ‘title’ and stepped forward to mirror Neville, who realized that it was time to step back. “12 inches of Ash and Elderberry found in the tundra of Antarctica. Odd place for a tree to thrive, right? But thrive it did, making it perfect for a water/ice elemental. The embellishment was done to mirror water currents and the gem was a sapphire taken from a temple dedicated to Poseidon by mayself. The cores again made a special wand. The first is a scale taken from a hippocampus from Italy, powerful water horse, freely given of course. Next is the tears of a Siren who had lost her lover, make it potent in magic requiring emotions and offensive magics. Finally, and surprisingly, is a Thestral hair from the mate of the same Threstral that gave the hair for the young man’s wand behind you.” This proclamation caused both Harry and Cayden to bloom a bright red colour in their cheeks. “This wand is made for precision in magic and is also powerful.” When Cayden removed the wand he felt the current of the seas flowing through him, filling him with power.

“Is Elderberry a normal wood used in wand crafting. I’ve never met someone with that wand wood?” asked Lord Kent

“As you have not noticed Elderberry is a common wood for elementals because it can handle the vast amount of magic they possess. So while it is not a usual wood used in wand crafting, it was not unusual.”

“Thank you. What about the school wands.”

“I can do that now.” He removed three measuring tapes from a drawer and set them to measure the boy while he asked the questions. It did not take long for them to be fitted with wands. Harry got one made from 12½ inches of Mahogany and a Griffin Flight feather. Neville got one made from 13 inches of Cherry and Bowtruckle innards. And finally, Cayden got one made from 12 inches of Hornbeam and the flight feather of an Abraxan. They also purchased two wand holsters per person and thanked the wand crafter. They left the store 300G lighter. 

Before heading home, Lord Kent took them out to dinner at the Open Cuisine, a restaurant that served dishes from all over the world. The boys began to compare both their wands during dinner which Lord Kent found amusing. 

By the time they returned to Kent Manor, all three boys were dead on their feet. He took all of them and placed them on Cayden’s bed and head to bed himself. It was, after all, a long day.


	6. The Woes of Albus Dumbledore

July of 1991 started out as a pretty normal one. His plans were all in place and he was feeling proud of what he had managed to accomplish over the last three decades. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, a name of power. It conjured fear in the hearts of his enemies and hope in the hearts of his favored.

He always had a plan. After almost 150 years on the earth, he had learned to trust only himself. If he shared his plans and ideas with others, they may steal it and gained recognition for it. That just wouldn’t do. This meant that he kept his own counsel. He believed that his contribution to major decisions was a boon to the Wizarding Community and if he was against a law, then it should be vetoed, and if he supported it, the law should become effective immediately. But that could not be helped, he was human after all.

His plans for young Harry started with a prophecy. After it was told to him, he decided that all the candidates should be under his control so that he could guide them into their destiny and share in their glory. He therefore, bound both candidates’ magic during their blessing. He convinced (confounded) Alice and Lily that his seniority made him the perfect candidate to conduct the blessings. He also convinced them that he found a ritual that could heighten the boy’s chances of survival if they encountered Voldemort. The blessings went as planned and both boys had their magical cores bound. It was all too easy.

The first disruption in his plan was after the death of Lily and James. He had hurried to the ministry to prevent their will from being read. He tried to use his non-existing power as Chief Warlock to seal their wills until Harry was of age. Not that that would ever happen. He had discovered on the night of his parents’ death that young Harry carried with him a fragment of Voldemort’s soul in his scar. Instead of exorcising it, he healed the scar trapping it in the boy and began making plans for his death. With Harry’s death he would secure the Potter’s vast fortune for himself. In the meantime he could use the vaults as Harry’s magical guardian.

This came to a crashing stand still, when Earl David Kent revealed himself as the Potter Estate Steward. David vetoed his actions on the wills and had him fined 4000G for his attempt to tamper with the Will of a Nobel House. He also tried to gain control of the Potter’s Heir, but was stymied by the Wizengamot who placed the safety of the Boy-who-lived in the hands of the most powerful Sorcerer in England. They however could not make Albus the boy’s magical guardian due to fear of retaliation from the infamous Potter Family Magics. This meant that Albus could not access the boy’s Trust Vault without him being there, even if he had the boy’s vault key.

David Kent, from that time forward, became a pain in Albus’ ass. He took control of the Potter’s and Black’s Wizengamot seat after the death of the Black Heir, Sirius Black. He then became the de facto leader of the Magically Ambiguous (grey) Lords in the Wizengamot, and stopped many of Albus’ proposals (through one of his lackeys), from becoming law. He also fought for werewolf equality with great success. He set up many sanctuaries for werewolves to live without fear of discrimination. He used his power as the Potter and Black Steward, to open up Pottermore Castle and turned it into a learning institution for persons with parents, who are Magical beings (vampyres, werewolves, vela, half giants etc). The biggest losses for Albus were the resignation of Filius Flitwick from Hogwarts to become Headmaster of Avalon School for Magical Beings, and Remus Lupin becoming his Deputy at the same school.

Through these actions, there was a sharp decrease in werewolf attacks which appeased the ministry, and Frenir Greyback had fled Britain after a close encounter with the improved Auror force. The intense duel left him paralyzed for many years, due to the silver that was attached to his spine. It took him several years to slowly vanish the silver in him and regain his former strength. Even after doing so, he still avoided Britain and avoided people in general. 

Try as he might Albus could not gain footing in this new school or its staff. The most he could do was prevent Hagrid from attending by confiscating his acceptance letters.

He tried to meet with Lord Kent on several occasion to try and impress upon him that it was for the greater good that the Potter and Black seat be given to him to manage, as he was far more knowledgeable and virtuous than Lord Kent was. The real reason was that as Chief Warlock, he had no voting rights, and seeing that the Dumbledore Family was neither Ancient nor Noble, he could only impress his wishes on his followers in the Wizengamot. If he acquired those seats though, he would be able to be the High and mighty Chief warlock and have an actual say in the politics, while maintaining his lofty position as Chief Wizard of Britain. All on Harry’s behalf of course.

In the last decade, he spent his time fine tuning and revising his plans. Harry’s childhood would leave him desperate for approval. Albus would offer that approval and become the boy’s primary source of guidance. This guidance would eventually lead Harry to his death, but only after he willed all his earthly possessions to his poor old mentor, Albus. 

To guide Harry to his feet, Albus sent the unwaveringly loyal Hagrid to ‘save’ him from his relatives and take him to Diagon Alley. This had a two-fold benefit. First it meant that Harry’s first interaction with a kind person would be with someone who worshipped Albus. The second benefit was that due to his isolation from the rest of the Wizarding World, Hagrid often forgot that not everyone knows everything about this world. He would then neglect to inform Harry about his station and family history while ensuring Harry adopted some of his prejudices.

This came back to him void. He had forgotten how manipulative goblins could be. When Hagrid reported back to him before he was expected back, he inquired about how it went. He was then informed of what took place at the bank. And even worse, Harry was left in the care of Lord Kent. Albus knew that David would not leave Harry ignorant of his duties. He later received a letter for the Department of Children Welfare, that Harry’s physical guardianship was awarded to Lord David Kent, and that he was being fined 10,000G for his neglect of the Potter Heir.

This led to his second disruption. He woke up on the second of August to Hagrid informing him of his resignation as Groundskeeper and Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts. In front of the entire staff at breakfast! When Professor McGonagall inquired why this sudden change, he told them he was going to be re-educated at Avalon School, until he achieved a Mastery or two in Magizoology and Teaching. He then proceeded to ask Albus if when he was through he could teach at Hogwarts. All he could do was reply ‘Yes’ with a smiling face, with no intention to follow through. He asked Hagrid to visit him before he left.

**********************

When Hagrid left his office, Dumbledore felt confident that he would now have a person inside that school to report all the illegal studies taking place. He then took out one of Hagrid’s past acceptance letter to read it. What he saw left him beyond nervous and troubled:  
Avalon School for Magical Beings  
Pottermore Castle  
Isle of Potter  
Headmaster: Sage Filius Flitwick, Grand Warlock, Master of Transfiguration, Ward crafting, Charms, Ancient Magic and Duelling  
Dear Mr. Rubeus Hagrid,  
You are being invited to join us at Avalon School of Magical Beings to be re-educating in the ways of Magic. Please note that upon your acceptance and admittance to our school, you are require to submit to a full magical medical to ensure that your potential is not hindered or your health is not at risk.  
We await your response.  
Respectfully,  
Sage Apprentice Remus Lupin, Arch Sorcerer  
Master of Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Defensive Magic and Spell Crafting  
Please note that your basic (up to NEWT) education will be done under a timed flux due to your advanced age. Mastery/Masteries will be done during the regular school terms.  
The pages that follow showed the recipient where to receive their supplies which were already paid for by the school’s Trust. This included many custom made item from the most affluent of merchandizers. The entire letter left Dumbledore stumped. All the charms he had taken the last hour and a half, discreetly applying was for naught.

He sat back with a sigh wondering just what else could go wrong.

******************  
Moduline Weasley nee Prewitt was a dream socialite. When she had married Arthur Weasley, he had been Heir to the Ancient and Loyal House of Weasley, and his father was almost dead. She had dreams of becoming Lady Weasley and having a vast fortune at her disposal, to rub in the face of all those who sneered at her because of the Prewitt’s fall from grace.

What she did not expect was for Lord Spetimus Weasley to make a surprise recovery. He then proceeded to object to the union of his heir to a destitute witch. The Prewitts, though a pureblood House was left penniless after they tried to extort monies from a joint venture with the House of Greengrass. This marriage was an opportunity for her to become the Pureblood Lady her mother was not.

Septimus on the other hand had other plans. When he realized that Arthur was serious about Moduline (Molly), he used Arthur’s trust fund to buy out of his Marriage contract with the House of Lovegood, and cut him off from the Family coffers. He then insisted that in repentance, he would choose four children to be raised by himself and his wife Lucretia Weasley nee Black. When Molly protested, he threatened to fully disown Arthur and call for restitution from the House of Prewitt for the loss of his Heir. She grudgingly conceded to his wishes. She only asked to be kept informed of her children’s progress.

When her first born William Weasley was found to have the Weasley family gift of seeing magic, he was taken by Septimus at age 2 to be raised as the Weasley Heir. The same happened with her second child Charles Septimus Weasley. He was taken to be raised as the Prewitt Heir. 

As part of the agreement, the Prewitt family was handed over to Lord Weasley who became its custodian. Under his guidance, there was a total overhaul of the family. Debts and Feuds were settled, and with a loan from the Weasley vaults, investments saw a 3000% increase in their family monetary value. The family was also shifted to the Magically Ambiguous Party in the Wizengamot and was just beginning to regain its former prestige. 

Their third child was not chosen, despite Percival being above average in mind and magical power. The twins, Fredrick Gideon and George Fabian, were taken by Lord Weasley as they both had the family gift and were both sorcerer level in power like their older brothers. Her final two children Ronald Bilius and Ginerva Molly we above average in power with Ginny being the most powerful of the remaining three children. She knew Septimus was disappointed that he did not acquire the first female Weasley in 6 centuries.

Molly then decided that her remaining children will be raised as she saw fit. Arthur did not have the heart to dispute this seeing as four of her seven children were no longer in their custody because of his lack of control.

When Molly tried to cease the Prewitt’s recently increasing assets, the foul goblins told her that they were already claimed in the Name of Charles Septimus Prewitt. Molly was fuming mad. All her dreams were crushed and there was nothing she could do about it. The only plus side to this was that with the loss of custody for 4 of her children meant that Arthur’s salary as a Senior Auror allowed them some freedom.

She was glad that she talked Arthur out of resigning as an Auror after the war ended. She quickly began to manipulate him to live up to her expectation in the Ministry. When he finally peaked, he became one of the most experienced Auror and Head of the Training School, with the four masteries that Amelia demanded of her Senior Aurors.

Her lost children over time became foreign to her. The oldest William went to Hogwarts and became Headboy and was now studying with goblins as a curse breaker and wardsmith according to her regular updates from Lucretia. Charles had just graduated and was to begin training as Magizoologist with emphasis in Dragonology. She also knew that they both had Masteries in History according to the Weasley Edicts (and the revised Prewitt Edicts), Healing (Charles), and Runic Casting (William), from the Switzerland International School of the Magical Arts. The twins were to begin their third year at Hogwarts (and she guessed the foreign school also) and were at the top of their classes. Molly guessed she could be proud, but not until her goal was achieved. She wanted the vast wealth of a Pureblood house and the prestige that accompanies it.

When Albus Dumbledore asked her to meet with him at Hogwarts (in1985), her curiosity was picked. She remember the Magical and Political powerhouse as one of the persons her brothers idolized and that he was someone who should be given absolute respect for all he has done for Wizarding England. When he told her about the Potter Heir being an orphan with no knowledge of the wizarding world, and that when it was time he needed to be reintroduced into the right circles, she was intrigued. She began to plan with Albus on how he should be groomed. 

When she realized that Albus had plans for the boy to die, she figured that the boy’s fortune would be up for grabs. The person, who would succeed, was the one with the greatest and closest blood claim. From that point forward, she began to groom her remaining children to be the best companions for young Harry. Percival would be the big brother and moral compass, steering him away from areas of the wizarding world that would be detrimental to their plan with talks of dark and dangerous magics. Ronald would be his best friend and secret holder. Being in this position would allow him to be propelled into the heights of wizarding society through association. And her ‘ace in the hole’ was little Ginny. She knew that her little girl would gain the Weasley women infamous beauty in its entirety, and planned on her becoming Lady Potter. Even if she bore him no heirs, the position alone would be enough for her to secure the Potter fortune for her mother. All these plans were made without the go ahead of either Albus or Arthur and were categorized as ‘family’ secrets according to Molly.

******************

Dumbledore decided that there was need to regroup and doctor his plans to fit the new situation. The stone he was trying to pass off as the Philosophers Stone was now obsolete due to Harry’s lack of knowledge of what happened in Gringotts. He got on his knees before the fireplace and tossed in a bit of floo powder before sticking his head in.

“Molly, are you there.”

“Oh hello Albus, I was not expecting you. Is there a particular reason you called?” Molly answered.

“Step through into my office where we can speak privately.”

When they had settled around his desk, Albus began to inform Molly of the disruptions in their plans. The scowl that appeared on her face was slightly concerning and off-putting. He then began to outline his new plan to her while Molly formulated a new plan in her head.

******************

With Hagrid  
When his portkey activated, it took him all the way to Sweden to acquire his schooling material. It took him the better part of six hours to gather everything for 7 years’ worth of schooling under a timed flux. There were materials that he was curious about and those he wanted to protest about getting. He read his list and was surprised to find Dark Arts as one of the courses required for graduation. He almost rejected the offer, but the thought of finally owning a wand again caused him to give it a try.

At the end of the day, the final stop was the wand crafters shop. It took a further 30 minutes for him to receive his wand. The crafter described it to him with relish. It was 17 inches in length, made from a mixture of Vine and Pine woods. For the core he had two. A dragon heartstring from an Ancient Hungarian Horntail soaked in the blood of a Hippogriff from Africa. It was a wand that was attuned to dealing with magical creatures whether it was combating wild untamable creatures or healing hurt creatures. It was ideal for Hagrid.

The next time he used the portkey, it took him to Pottermore Castle.

It was a sight to behold! 

There were tall towers and battlements, white ivory walls that seemed impenetrable, and many, many students milling around. He met with Remus and was escorted to his room for the rest of his basic training. The room was pretty basic. There was a large bed, a large desk and a large bookcase to hold all his books. There was no shower however due to a communal system being used. The room however was outfitted perfectly for him. Hagrid decided to tour the castle. On his walk he realized that all the students were half humans and intelligent magical beings. He saw goblins (1/2 goblins too), werewolves, vampyres, incubus, veela, ½ merfolk, sirens, ½ giants and many more. The next two hours were spent talking to schoolmates and finding out they were all above school age and were playing ‘catch-up’. He realized also, that there were no resentments between the different species. When it was finally time for dinner and the official opening of the program, he had yet to see half of the castle.

********************

The next seven years were both torturous and liberating for Hagrid. He made many friends and did a lot of studying which caused him to change drastically. Most of his prejudices had been debated and let go. His use of language and the number of them he knew increased dramatically with him learning French, Gobbledegook, Latin, Greek, and elfin. His English was refined to perfection (even his accent disappeared). He had completed his International Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations (OWLs) in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms, Transfiguration, Defensive and Offensive magics, Dark Arts, Healing, Magical Creatures and their Care, History, Herbology, Potions, Teaching and Muggle Affairs. He also completed his Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (NEWTs) in Ancient Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, Defensive and Offensive magics, Healing, Magical Creatures and their Care, Herbology, Potions, Ancient Magics, Teaching and Ward Crafting & Breaking.

His career options had opened up a great deal. He however decided to use the last two years of his education to conduct research and complete Masteries in three areas. His goals were Magizoology (Dragonology), Education and Teaching and finally Defensive Magics.

Over the seven years Hagrid had decided to carry himself with an attitude of respect. He had trimmed his hair and groomed his beard. He also began to train as a duelist in order to become a dueling Master (not an officially recognized Mastery Study). He had turned his bulk into pure muscles that aided him in dealing with the magical creatures he loved.

Now, at the end of his basic training and the summer, he was looking forward to being a Teaching Assistant for the next two years before returning to Hogwarts. He had decided to forgive Dumbledore for almost having him expelled due to the large amounts of spying spells detected by the scans. His forgiveness was not because he worshipped Dumbledore (not after all the debates he had been in that opened his eyes), but because he wanted to move forward in his life. Now that his record was expunged with the aid of the Law Students, he could live up to his dead father’s expectation and claim what was left of the Hagrid Estate.

*********************

The summer was almost over and he was hoping to hear from Hagrid even though he was no longer enchanted. When he received word from Gringotts that the Hagrid Estate was no longer in his care, but was turned over to the Heir Rubeus, he was disappointed. He had hoped that Hagrid would talk to him before such a major step.

He put all that behind him and focused on the upcoming school year. He had plans to make Harry into the perfect hero and martyr for the greater good and Albus Dumbledore would not be denied.


	7. Year one in the life of a wizard-part 1

The weeks leading to September 1 was nothing but pure chaos. To Harry, there seemed to be something that needed to be learned or packed or discussed or completed. The occupants at Kent Manor also started to give sage advice to the soon to be students in an attempt to scare the pants off them. More than one time Susan and Cayden ended up in tears, after being counselled by one of Cayden’s siblings.

Harry was trying to do all he was told to do in preparation for school and spend as much time with Cayden and Susan before they left for school in Switzerland. Susan also introduced them to her new familiar that hatched for her on the grounds of Bones Manor. A small fire snake which was a cross-breed between a fire salamander and a flightless drake (Harry shuddered to think how that pairing actually worked). She called him Ignus. 

Susan told them that thought it was too hot to touch for others, her families affinity to fire made them immune to the burns that would normally be inflicted. Another activity that the pre-teens participated in was a pissing contest over their wands. Susan and Luna had custom wands from a different wand crafter and countered all the boy’s arguments by saying that their wands were superior because their crafter was superior. At first they all started practicing using their custom wands to cast the spells they had learned windlessly. This made for spectacular results for the teens who were very satisfied by their ability to cast the spells. Before their egos could be inflated anymore, David told them to try casting with their school wands instead. All egos were deflated. They realized that though their school wands were usable, it required more control in order for the spells to work rather than power.

The group of friends was back where they started. They had to learn to control the magic they were channeling. So far, none of them was able to even produce a lumos. After a week of struggle, Alexandros took pity on them and started to explain what they failed to do.

“You all have a great deal of power to channel into your wands. These school wands are designed with many runes inside to only accept controlled spells. That means that the power applied must be proportional to the spell you are casting. My advice is to start by channeling small amounts of power into a spell until you find what works for that spell.”

That explanation from Alex set them on the correct path again. in the week before school began, most of the spells from the year one curriculum at both Hogwarts and the Magical Institute were mastered with their school wands.

Another subject also occupied the time they spent not casting spells. At the institute, an introductory class called “An Introduction to Occlumency” fascinated the pre-teens. Their textbook outlined the benefits of the art, and the steps to achieve it. The first step was already mastered by both Cayden and Susan. Meditation was the first required step in occlumency. Both Susan and Cayden had to master meditating when they began to learn about fire and water magics respectively. They took the inititive to teach the other three what they had learned. It was a laborious task, but their determination to master Occlumency was greater. 

**************

September 1, came quickly for the five friends. They spent the remainder of their summer in meditation with Cayden and his papa, and getting to know their familiars, Gladius for Harry, Terra for Neville and Cayden named his Triton. Luna had gotten a snowy owl that she had decided to call Delphi. 

After packing their trunk, the three friends spent the last few hours on August 31 enjoying each other’s company and the company of the Kent family. Harry had met each of Cayden’s brothers and sisters, and now had an idea of what it is like to be a ‘little brother’. He enjoyed it immensely. Seeing as they would not be seeing each other for almost 4 months, they decided that they needed to spend as much time together before they had to leave.

Cayden and Susan would be attending the academy for the next six years without the protection of Neville and Luna’s decisions. They were however happy to make a name for themselves.

************

The night before the beginning of the term Harry lay in bed awake. He wondered what would have happened if he had not spoken out in the bank. Would he be in this position now? All the questions floating about in his head made him purpose that he would never again be subjected to the will of another and that he would always speak out against what he disagreed with.

************

September the 1st was a ritualistic chaotic day for the residence of the Borrow. The quaint, two story building, contained five bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms on the upper floor. The lower floor had a study with a small library, a living area, dining room, and finally a kitchen. At present, Molly was in Ronald’s room making sure he remembered his part that he was to play. She had done the same thing with Percy. She was eternally thankful that Arthur always went to work early. He had ensured that he told Ron and Percy farewell before bed last night.

“What will you do when you meet Harry?”

“Mom, we’ve been through this too many times.”

“Humor me Ronald; I want it to be executed to perfection.”

“Fine,” said an exasperated Ron, “I will pretend that I lost my pet and get whoever is with the brat to help me look for it. That will make it possible for Percy to meet and integrate with Potter and give a good word for me. I will then attempt to monopolize his time with interesting topics such as quidditch. Happy!”

“Very good Ron, if it goes well I will get your father to purchase you that new broom you wanted.”

“Really, that’s awesome! Don’t worry mom, I’ve got this,” finished Ron confidently.

*****************

The Kent Manor was the total opposite. Harry and Neville just finished saying their goodbyes to Cayden, whose international school portkey activated at 9o’clock. It took him directly to the School of Magical Arts where he would be joined by Susan, and so David was not too worried about him. He was however concerned about Harry and by extension Neville and Luna.

“Boys, come here.” They immediately moved into the parlor and sat facing each other. “I’m positive that Albus has someone waiting to befriend you at the station Harry. He knows that I would not keep you ignorant and that you will be wary of people. I’m also positive that he will use someone who has easy access to you, so it will be a first year. In that case I have one more thing to show you before we leave.” David stood and walked over to the doors to the parlor. He began to draw seven different runes on each door with his wand. They appeared in a fiery form that pulsed with power. He continued his lecture, “These runes, as long as they are sufficiently powered, will prevent all persons to avoid your compartment. The train has enough space for each student to have his or her own compartment, so don’t fear being a nuisance. Let me see you boys trace these runes. Do them together to make them more powerful and stable.” The boys practice for the next half hour until David was satisfied.

****************

Platform 9 ¾ was as busy as ever. Full of screaming children who missed their siblings, doting parents, teens reuniting and old friends seeing each other. Harry was totally fascinated by the going-on of the train station and looked on with big round eyes. David and Augusta hurried both boys to the train before they could be recognized by any unsavory persons. With David’s help they were able to maneuver their trunks unto the train and into a compartment already occupied by Luna. All final good-byes and hugs were done in the train’s compartment. When the adults deemed it necessary to leave, there was a knock on the door. It opened to reveal a bushy haired, buck toothed girl. David gave her a quick mental scan and found no ill thoughts towards the children and indicated such to them with a nod.

They helped their compartment companion with her trunk as David and Augusta left (Selene and Xeno had left already). When the doors were closed, Neville and Harry began to ward the compartment. They worked in sync whispering the names of runes under their breath and adding their considerable (for their age group) power behind the runic scheme. When Luna recognized what they were doing, she also began channeling her magic into the ward schema.

**************

Hermione had pledged that she would do her best in making friends. Even if she had to do all their homework for them to like her, she would do it. When she entered the compartment with the two boys, a blond girl and their parents, she decided that she would start with them. When they assisted her with her trunk, hope blossomed in her heart at the possibility of them being her friends with no strings attached. She turned to get out her favorite book ‘Hogwarts – A History’ to share what she had learned with them. When she turned around, she noticed both boys with their wands waving in sync, whispering under their breaths and weird symbols flashing on the door of the compartment.

“Well, at least that is done and we can now breathe easier,” said the blond boy.

“I thought Uncle David and Gran would never leave,” added the one with Ebony hair.

“Hello there! My name is Neville, Heir to the Ancient and Gallant House of Longbottom. Beside me is my god brother Haddricus, Heir to the Ancient and Valiant House of Potter. And to his left is the Heiress of the Ancient House of Lovegood, Luna. May I enquire your name miss?”

Hermione was taken aback by the formality between the pre-teens. Then she remembered reading about Harry Potter in ‘The Fall of The Dark Arts’ and ‘Modern Magical History’. Surely this boy could not be Harry Potter. He looked very different than depicted in the books.

“I think you broke her Neville,” commented Haddricus.

That snapped her out of her thoughts, “Hi, my name is Hermione Granger pleased to meet you I am the first in my family to have magic I was ever so pleased when Professor McGonagall turned up at my house last September to inform me and my parents that I was a witch and completely normal Do you happen to know…”

“Whoa there, calm down and take a breath when you speak. That was an overwhelming list of statements that you spewed out just now,” interjected Haddricus.

Hermione blushed in embarrassment. She had just spoiled all chances in becoming friends with these boys because of her verbal vomiting tendencies.

“Now, why don’t we sit and have a conversation like regular friends,” came Neville’s words. Hermione’s head snapped up when she heard the word friends. With a quick nod to the boy they sat and began to talk about everything and nothing. When they got to houses, it sparked a fierce debate.

“Well I really want to be in Gryffindor because that’s where Dumbledore was when he was a student. He turned out to be the best of the best in today’s society,” Hermione stated confidently.

“Hermione, that logic is immensely skewered. Yes Dumbledore is a powerful wizard, but you are not Dumbledore. From our discourse here, I would say that you belong in Ravenclaw. You are witty and crafty, and your detail to acquire knowledge seems to be an immense part of your personality. If you were to be a Gryffindor, you would be ridiculed for being too methodical and studious. If you want to be bullied and your potential hindered, by all means go to Gryffindor. However if you wish to go the farthest YOU can go then I would say Ravenclaw.”

Hermione stared at Luna as she finished her lecture. She had just taken her dreams and crushed it unintentionally. She didn’t know she wished to be the Dumbledore of this generation. When she warned her about the bullying, her resolve crumbled. She just could not do that again.

Harry stared at Hermione as she thought through Neville had said to her. He hoped that she took his advice because he found that he enjoyed her company and did not want to see her hurt by crass words and tactless brutes. He mentally relaxed when he saw her expression changed from contemplative to accepting.

“Thank you Luna for looking out for my safety.”

“Don’t worry Hermione; it’s what friends do for each other.”

The conversation moved to muggleborns (first generation according to Harry, Luna and Neville), and their place in magical society. Hermione argued that the society needed to modernize and that muggleborns were the way to go. Harry countered that they needed to modernize in the ways of magic, not muggles (mundane). He emphasized that Magical and muggle should not be mixed. Muggleborns should learn the wizarding traditions that governed their society and fall in place. Feeling thoroughly berated, she asked how she could learn these traditions. Neville offered to tutor her and ask his Gran for some books to help her on her way.

Conversation continued to flow around the compartment until Harry and Neville stepped out of the compartment to attire themselves in their school robes.

******************

Ron felt like a failure. He had one task to ensure his family became rich and powerful. When they arrived at the station, Ron went to complete his task. They were late to the platform, but better late than never in his mind. He searched the entire train for three solid hours for any evidence of Harry Potter. He even began to introduce himself as Harry’s best friend to seem more important. This did not change the futility of his search. He eventually decided that he would have to get to Harry at the feast seeing as he was sure Harry would be in Gryffindor. He found an empty compartment and purchased some snacks from the Trolley. He eventually fell asleep until the train’s conductor announced that they were five minutes from Hogwarts. He quickly got dressed in new robes and waited impatiently to become Harry Potter’s best friend.

***************

Severus Snape was immensely irritated. The great oaf Hagrid had retired and there was a great gap in terms of the responsibilities he carried out. Albus refused to hire a new Keeper of Keys and Groundskeeper. This meant that the Heads of House had a greater amount of responsibilities foisted upon them. He had drawn the short straw in escorting the new brats across the lake to the castle. He was not pleased.

“First years this way,” he drawled with as much malice he could muster, just to show his displeasure at having to do this. When they all gathered he turned and walked down to the lakeside, “Keep up and try not to get lost.”

He guided them towards the boats and across that lake towards the castle. He heard the whispers of awe when the castle came into view and was not amused. He consciously forgot that he did the same on his first seeing the castle. When he led them to the meeting chamber, he quickly summoned the Deputy Headmistress and excused himself. He hoped it would not be an annual event because one of these children would die by his tongue.

********************

Harry, Neville, Hermione and Luna all shared a boat while travelling to the castle. Hermione and the Lovegood descendant had made quick friends on the train, and talked to each other endlessly in whispered tones.

When the miserable looking professor turned them over to the stern Professor McGonagall, they were led to ante-chamber to wait until the sorting began. During that time Harry experience something he was desperate to avoid.

“So this is the famous Harry Potter. I am Draco Malfoy. I can help you connect with the best of the wizarding of society.” Malfoy turned to Hermione and sneered at her.

“You forget yourself Heir Malfoy, to speak so freely with someone above your station. My steward will be in contact with the Head of House Malfoy.” The blond haired boy turned back to face Harry so fast that Neville swore he would suffer from whiplash. The fear in Malfoys eyes was for all to see.

“Of course if you swear to avoid me for the next seven years, I might just forget this slight,” counter Harry conversationally. He added in a hushed tone, “Don’t make an enemy of me or my friend Malfoy. It won’t end well for you.” With a furious nod Malfoy turned and walked off with his cronies.

“Well you showed him Harry. My name is Ronald Weasley. Anything you want to know, you can ask me.” The unfamiliar boy then turned towards Neville, and spoke to Harry in a low tone, “You should really choose your friends better. The Longbottoms and Lovegoods are as Dark as families can get around here. They are no friends to Dumbledore.”

Harry’s eyes became flinty as he turned to the arrogant boy, “Avoid me and my allies, Weasley. I don’t care for you or your opinions.” With that they walked away from the stunned boy. Before anything further could happen, Professor McGonagall returned and led them into the Great Hall.

******************

Harry and Neville sat at the Gryffindor table near a pair of red headed boys, who Neville Introduced as Fredrick Prewitt and George Weasley. They were quickly engaged in a deep conversation about the pros and cons of potions in pranking. They occasionally looked over at the Ravenclaw table where Hermione was in deep conversation with Luna and her housemates. They were pleased with their sorting and more so with Hermione’s sorting (Luna opting to stay with the girl). They would always be friends, but this way was best for her.

When the feast ended, the Headmaster stood to give the notices.

“Now that we are all watered and fed, there are a few notices that must be heard before we retire. Our caretaker Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that there should be no magic used in the passage ways. He also has a list of contrabands nailed to his doors for you to peruse at your leisure. Also the Forbidden Forrest is out-of-bounds to all students. Finally, our Groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid has decided to take a sabbatical to experience life outside of Hogwarts. In light of this, students will be monitored by prefects when they are on the grounds of the school. Let us stand and sing our school song before we retire.”

In a show of power, Dumbledore waved his had to produce the lyrics of the song.

After a weird symphony of sounds, the song ended with the Weasley and Prewitt twin’s funeral rhythmed rendition, they were led from the Great Hall by Prefect Weasley and Cuff towards the Gryffindor dormitory. When they arrived at the common room, Neville and Harry were shown to the Heir’s quarters which the shared with the twins. They settled down and wrote letters to Cayden, Gran and David about their experience and sorting. When they were done, they retired to bed because tomorrow would be as long as it should be.


	8. Year one in the life of a wizard-part 2

The past two months at Hogwarts had been easy. That was the only word Harry could find to describe the school. He had grown used to being constantly occupied with studying and other activities under Sage Makliar, that the amount of free time left in the Hogwarts schedule made it possible to complete homework, study the material from the Magical Institute and plan pranks with the twin.

The twin Fred and George were another unexpected boon. Both had met Neville at the Magical Institute, but were two years older than Neville. Being at Hogwarts and sharing the same quarters with them had helped to build a strong companionship with them. The major advantage though, was the help they offered to Harry, Neville and Luna with their extra work. Spells were easier to master when they had help from a more learned source.

Luna and Hermione had also cemented their friendship when a group of older girls made the mistake to try and tease Hermione about her bucked-teeth. The number of hexes they had experienced from Luna was nothing short of astronomical. Two had to be transferred to St. Mongos due to the high level of spell interactions that was beyond what a simple medi-witch could handle. And to make the situation even better, Luna had used a family spell to make it impossible for them to disclose what happened under ANY circumstance. She was now feared among the lower years in Hogwarts. 

Hermione, when she realized that the education at Hogwarts was sub-standard was beyond furious. She had demanded to be able to attend the Institute of Magic with the others. She was to be even more disappointed when her friends explained that it was invitation only, and the invitation was based on magical strength. To appease her, they offered to allow her to study the easier branches of magic with them. That made her happy enough not to rant too much about Hogwarts’ ‘Hogwash’ Propaganda, as she described it.

One of the first problems Harry encountered was in potions. Draco Malfoy had avoided him like the plague as promised and kept the other first year Slytherins out of his way. The Potion’s Master and Head of Slytherin however, was not beholden to such a promise. The first day on Potions Class involved a rapid session of quizzing, to which Harry responded to with the correct answers to the questions (having been forewarned by Luna), much to the Potions Master ire. A perfectly brewed Boil-cure later made the man even more furious. In the sessions to follow, Harry was almost criminally ignored and his papers were returned to him unmarked.

All that stopped three weeks later, when David paid a visit to the Headmaster along with the entire school board. He forced Dumbledore to hire another Potion’s Master because the current one was not fit to teach children while he himself was still a child. The presence of the board forced him to negotiate to keep Severus as the Potions Master of the School and teacher to the sixth and seventh year. A generous donation from the Families of the board saw the hiring of almost thirty potions tutor to help the students to get up to the standard of the new Potions Mistress, the newly reinstated Madame Andromeda Black-Tonks, Harry’s cousin.

Since then, potions had become one of the better taught subjects, almost matching that of the Magical Institute. 

Another change was the death of Professor Quirinus Quirrell. He had been missing for a day when he was found dead with a large hole in the back of his head by the Head Girl. The Girl was so traumatized that she had to be transferred to St. Mongos. This lead to the Defense Against the Dark Arts position being reviewed by the board also. Cursebreaker Julian Baker was hired and given the task of identifying and breaking any curses present on the position. The quality of education in that subject also changed for the better. It was the best it had ever been taught in Hogwarts in almost two centuries, but nowhere near as good as at the Institute.

************

October 31 marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Duke James Charlus Potter and Duchess Lillian Marie Potter nee Evans. To the rest of the wizarding world, it marked the day they were liberated from the tyranny of the self-styled Lord Voldemort. The day was spent in classes that made no point to Harry and his friends. He was however looking forward to the evening as he would experience on of the many religious rituals of the wizarding community.

Samhain was a very special day. It was a day marked by a vast increase in necromantic powers, and a degradation of the veil that exist between this world and the next. Most pureblooded families spent the time in rituals dedicated to strengthening their family magic and communing with their ancestors. Today was the first time Harry would participate in such a ritual.

Harry had received a book from David two weeks prior to Samhain. It came directly from his family vaults and entitled “Rites of the Dead: Potter” and “Rights of the Dead: Black”. After two weeks of reading them secretively, Harry was sure he knew what to do in these rituals.  
********************  
“Are you sure you are ready for this’” David questioned when he went to take Harry to Potter’s Bay, Whales, which was the home of the Ancient Potter Magics. In the old days, the large Potter Family had reared and harvested Dragons and Sea Monsters. They had, during this time sacrificed so many dragons that the family totem changed from a large Stag to an even larger Dragon.

“Yes, I’m ready. Well as ready as I’ll ever be.”

They walked in silence towards the main gates. When they passed the boundaries of the wards, David did a mild scan on Harry, checking for any unfamiliar magical signature. He found a tracker on one of Harry’s shoelaces which was promptly dealt with. He shook his head. Dumbledore needed to do better in order to stay in the ‘game’.

He held on to Harry, and with a half-turn they were gone, no sound. 

When they reappeared, they stood before a gate so large it made Hogwarts gates seem like garden fence. Harry stepped forward and with quick meticulous movements, he used the Potter ceremonial dagger to cut open his palm. The blood he smeared on the small Dragon protruding from the gate. As soon as he did this, a Dragon made of pure magic emerged from the small metal Dragon.

“You dare disturb the home of the Potters. State your business or be found wanting.”

“I am Haddricus James Potter, and I demand by my blood and the magic it carries, that you stand aside and allow me entrance to the Heritage that is mine.” He was nervous but unwavering. He felt the Family Magics scanning him and assessing both his blood and magic.

“We sense the partial claim of another family’s magic, but you are allowed to enter.” With that the dragon returned to its resting place, and the gates swung open of its own accord.

“Masters Harries is homes! How cans Dinky be servings yous Master Harries,” the small excitable creature was on Harry the moment her stepped onto the property.

“Hello Dinky, could you please gather all the elves together on the front porch so that I can address all of them.” With a loud pop Dinky was gone to complete his task. “I didn’t know I had house elves here Uncle David. I am …,” he trailed of when he turned and noticed that David was not with him. He then remembered that this is something he must do on his own.

******************

“I am happy that you have all decided to stay here and take care of my Family’s home. For that you will all be rewarded,” Harry said to the assembled. “Today marks a new beginning for the House of Potter. Today we will consume the Black Family Magic. We will reinvent the name and Potter Magics just as when the Peverelle’s Magic was consumed. We will triumph and lead a new age.”

*******************

The House of Black was considered an Ancient and Noble house, having existed for as long as the Potters or Longbottoms. In the early days they were scholars and warriors, with a high affinity for Battle Magics. They were known for the skills in espionage and in defending the Druidic lands. They said that the Black Totem represented the family very well. If one was to meet a Black on the battlefield, it meant that death was imminent, just like the grim their totem was. Over time, as the Magical society evolved, they became merchants. Running ships for wealthy clients, whose cargo was well protected aboard their ships. They however descended into darkness.

It started with the then head of House Arcturus Black I participating in a ritual that required him to consume the blood of an innocent vampire. The ritual was botched causing him no visible harm. The effects were however seen not too long later. Arcturus’ mental health begun to deteriorate rapidly as he aged. After his death the rest of his family thought that it was over. But it was only the beginning. The family’s magic was contaminated by the botched ritual and a curse, later called the Black Madness, had settled in the magic. The more frequently a member of the family invoked their family magic, the quicker their degradation. Currently, only two members of the black family had escaped this curse, Andromeda and Sirius Black (even squibs were affected if they used family potions recipes).

Harry was totally unaware of this and there was no way of knowing how the magics would react to this curse. 

***********************

It was almost dusk, and Harry was in the Potter’s Ritual chamber. Around him was a series of runes that he could almost identify, but his ancestors’ portraits had instructed him that it was the circle he needed for such a powerful ritual. He had removed all his clothing to prevent interference with the magic. In a smaller circle sat the Black’s Heir ring, which he had requested be sent to him from Gringotts. It was to be used to summon the Black Family Magics.

At five minutes to dusk, Harry began to chant in the ancient language of the Welch Druids (It was written in a book).  
“Rwy'n galw ar Pwerau Hynafol . Gweler fy cymhellion , clyw fy ple . Yn dod allan y pwerau sy'n dal ddylanwadol i mi. O blith y Crysau Duon rwy'n galw ar y pŵer Hynafol y Grim . Galwaf ar y cysgodion sydd amdo eich pwerau amlygu eich hun ger fy mron . O'r Potters galwaf allan y pŵer Hynafol y Ddraig . Y gwyntoedd a thân sy'n orchuddio ti eu dileu . Yfed Potter, yn cymryd yr hyn ydych yn. Barnwr sy'n parhau i fod o'r bloodline hwn . Os yn ddiffygiol , yn cymryd yr hyn a dawnus.”  
(I call upon the Ancient Powers. See my motives, hear my plea. Bring forth the powers that hold sway to me. Of the Blacks I call upon the Ancient power of the Grim. I call upon the shadows that shroud your powers manifest yourself before me. Of the Potters I call forth the Ancient power of the Dragon. The winds and fire that cloak thee be removed. Consume Potter, take what you will. Judge who remain of this bloodline. If found wanting, take that which was gifted.) 

At the end of his chant, the Potter Magic Exploded from Harry, more powerful than he had ever felt before. The Dragon was the same as before, A Welch Green. It made sense. The dragon roared something ferocious. Not long after, the Black Heir Ring begun to glow. When it seemed as in the intensity could go no higher, the Black totem, a Big Black and Silver Grim, exploded from it. 

Before the Grim could orient itself, the Welsh pounced upon it. What followed was cataclysmically beautiful. The totems warred for dominance for what deemed to be days, but in reality was only three minutes. The predators were vicious. Though the grim was smaller, it was no less dangerous. There were many times it seemed that the grim had the upper hand. This usually caused an influx of magic that appeared to reenergize the Welsh. At a minute to dusk, the Welsh finally managed to grab hold of the grim’s neck. Instead of flashing it about to break its neck, the dragon breathed magic. Pure, unfiltered Potter Magic. It poured from the totems mouth like torrents of flame, consuming the Grim. As soon as the magic fire started, what appeared to be chains appeared around the Grim’s head. The chains were blood red and glowing. Harry’s instinct told him that if those chains remained, then it would pass something terrible to his family magic. With a desperate cry, he channeled the Potter magic surrounding the lands to break and remove the chains. His will was strong, but the chains seemed to be stronger. The grim was starting to dissolve into pure magic and was being absorbed by the Welsh. Harry frantically began to redouble his effort to break the chains. With a final push of will and intent, a magical storm cloud appeared in Potter colours. It rumbled ominously and flashed menacingly. A blast of what appeared to be lightning struck the chains three times. Each strike seem to shake the foundation of the castle. On the fourth strike, the chains shattered into a million small pieces. It occurred not a moment too soon, as what was left of the Grim was absorbed by the dragon.

As soon as the Grim was absorbed, dusk had fallen. The Potter totem seemed to be smug over its victory, so much so that it begun to glow. Harry used his hands to shield his eyes when the glow became too much. A change in the family magics had begun.

*******************

When the lights faded the Potter dragon was still standing. But it was no longer the Welsh Green. In standing before Harry was a dragon twice the size of the previous dragon. A Hungarian Horntail was now the new Potter totem. It was a solemn moment when the dragon took a step forward and lowered its massive snout towards its master, recognizing his blood. When they finally touched, several things occurred. The dragon separated into seven parts. Six of them were the size of a horse and the seventh was the size of the previous Welsh Dragon. At once five of the dragons made a giant leap through the ceiling. The largest of the dragon entered the Potter Heir ring which Harry had removed while chanting, and the final dragon entered Harry’s magical core. The power increase that he felt was amazing but controllable. He wondered who else had received one of the new Potter dragons.

******************

At Hogwarts  
Draco Malfoy was having a shower before heading home for Samhain celebration with his mother and father when he felt a slight shiver in his magical core. When he turned around to see what would cause the shiver he was met by a horse sized dragon made of pure magic, familial magics. The dragon seemed to stare at him for a long time the turned away and left. As the dragon left, Draco felt a sudden drop in his power level. He had no idea what it meant, but was hardly worried about it. His father would fix it for him 

Andromeda’s Office  
Growing up, she was always one of the most powerful in her age group. The Black Family Magics made her powerful, just like her relatives. She was beautiful and the perfect Pureblooded Princess. All this changed when she met and eloped with the Muggleborn Theodore Tonks. She was immediately disowned and the Black Magic that she carried had left her. This made her one of the below average powered witches. This stopped her from becoming a Healer, which was her life-long dream. Instead she settled for potions Mistress, a field that did not require a lot of person magic.

She had just finished her daily meditation when she felt the presence enter the room. Quicker that one would expect, Andromeda was on her feet, wand in hand ready to crush whoever had intruded on her personal time. To say she was surprised when she encountered the Dragon totem was an understatement. She was even more surprised that after several minutes of examining her, the totem stepped forward until they were in touching distance of each other. The totem lowered its head until it touched the area just where her magical core was located. The power that bloomed there reconnected her to a Family Magic. She realized that she was twice, almost three times as powerful as before.

The magic was similar to the Black Family Magic, but totally different, she felt like a new person with an entirely different life beginning. She wondered where the magic had come from. She was not however worried, because it was only a matter of time before she found out.

******************

Azkaban Prison

Belltrix Lastrange nee Black was one of the most feared witches in Wizarding Britain. She was powerful and had knowledge of spells that rivaled both Dumbledore and The Dark Lord. And most importantly, she was a Black. She reminded all the plebeians of Britain why the blacks were feared. She was sitting in Azkaban, waiting and biding her time. She would sometimes scream out in an aim to terrify the guards, and laugh at their reactions. She would enjoy seeing them die by her hand. All in due time.  
The Potter totem entered Bellatrix’s cell silently without any dramatics. Both occupants of the cell stared at each other for several minutes. Bellatrix realized that she was being judged by the magic and there was nothing she could do about it. 

After several minutes, the dragon left. What surprised Bellatrix the most was that upon its departure, the Black Family Magic was ripped from her magical core along with half of her permanent magic. She heard a scream from her husband’s cell at the same time. 

There was only one thing that could have caused this. The Black Family’s primacy over House Lastrange had sought judgement on their marriage bond and the terms of their marriage and found the terms breeched. If she remembered her contract clearly, all that belonged to the Lastrange House now belonged to House Black… or rather whatever house that had absorbed House Black. She closed her eyes and wept silently for the loss of her heritage and magic.

******************

Draco stepped from the floo system into the Welcoming Hall of Malfoy Manor. He immediately went in search of his father to tell him what had happened. He hoped that his mother would be absent this year as she always got in his way, interrupting his time with his father. He had always wondered why his father didn’t get rid of her permanently instead of putting her in a different wing of the manor.

He found him sitting in the family sitting parlor with his head in his hands.

“Father, is something wrong?” He rushed to his father’s side.

“Ahhh Draco, my boy,” he greeted, “It seems as though we will have one less member in our family. I am sure you have experienced the loss of your Black ancestry recently, but don’t worry, the Malfoy Magic will make up for that loss.” He ended that explanation there and stood, leading Draco to the Family’s ritual room to complete their Samhain Rituals.

*************************

The Leaky Cauldron

“A room for the night please Tom.”

“Of course. Right this was Lady Malfoy.”

“Madam Black, please.”

Narcissia was a political powerhouse of a woman. Many believed that Lucius was the reason for the Malfoys being so successful, but they were wrong. It was the connections they gained by marrying into the Black Family.

Earlier that evening, Narcissia was sitting in the Dining Room of Malfoy Manor having supper, when a Dragon totem made of Royal Blue, Silver and Black Magics. Immediately, she recognized the presence of familiar magic. There was a short period of judgment of both her and her husband. When they were measured by the Dragon, their marriage bond began to glow. What should have been a healthy golden bond, a pale yellow, thin bond was there instead. With a swipe of its claws, the dragon broke their marriage bond. As soon as that was done the small Magical Peacock she had received from the Malfoy’s family Magics, left her core, and the Dragon, in one move swatted the Peacock away and enter the space the Malfoy’s Magics had lust left. 

Narcissia didn’t even wait for Lucius to say anything. She removed the ring he had given her on their wedding day and left the room. She called her personal elves and had them pack all of her belonging and anything that the Dark Lord left behind. She felt just a twinge of guilt at leaving Draco behind, but knew he was Lucius’ son in every way, there was no love between mother and son, not even mutual respect.

“Mistress is all packed,” Dobby and Nobby said in sync.

“Take all this to my parents’ house and wait there for me. Also have the place ready for habitation.”

With those instructions given, she walked to the Malfoy’s Welcome Hall and left through the floo. She knew that this dissolving of their marriage would require her dowry to be returned and that was approximately 25% of the Malfoy Fortune. 

A wicked smile stretched across her face. She was ow free to repay all the abuse she suffered under Lucius’ house and from his Lord. House Malfoy would experience a fall from grace that they may never recover from.

***********************

The rest of the Potter Rites were completed by eight o’clock that evening. All the properties, both Potter and formerly Black, were placed in lockdown by family wards.

Harry stood outside the Potter Bay compound waiting for David to retrieve him. There was an almost nonexistent pop where David appeared.

“Will you tell me why the Gringotts goblins are demanding your presence this evening Haddricus?” He looked disgruntled. Harry started explain quickly what had happened. He hoped to alleviate any punishments that may be attached to this offence. Or at least, temper the punishment. 

“So you experimented with family magics beyond your power and it luckily did not backfire on you.” David shook his head. “You are very fortunate. In light of your success, you will write me 30” on the dangers of tampering with family magics. Now come along, we have an appointment with Gringotts.” 

************************

Dear Harry,  
It has been going well here at the Academy. Susan says I should tell you hi. We are roommates and project mates this year. All the subjects here are interesting, and the teachers keep us interested.

Father told me what happened on Samhain. ARE YOU STUPID? What would have happened if the magics were wilder and you were hurt? No one could have helped you. If I were with you I would have hexed you so hard you wouldn’t even know your own name. 

Father also informed me of the three new additions to the Potter Family. I am very happy for you. Susan is happy for you too.

Can’t wait to see you at Yule.

Love,  
Cayden 

***********************

Harry read Cayden’s letter with a huge grin on his face. He loved when he received letters from him, and Susan too. He especially liked when Cayden ended his letters with love. It filled him with a warm fuzzy feeling. Cayden’s letter also reminded him of his two new aunts and cousin, Aunt Andy, Narcissia and Nymphadora. After meeting with them at Gringotts, where each woman was given their own vault from which they could invest and help to build the Potter’s fortune, they also opted to take the name Potter or Potter-Tonks (Any and Nymphadora). They were also given their own property to live in, on Potter lands where the wards are impossible to crack. All in all his family was being cared for.

The newly acquired black properties and vault would be gutted and enchanted artifacts would be categorized and either stored (in the vault or cabinets in the houses) or destroyed if harmful. This would be overseen by David and was expected to be done by Yule. The same would be done for the Lastrange Estate. It would be then be turned over to The House of Longbottom in repatriation for what they had done to that family. They would get the opportunity to absorb their family magics and all.

It was shaping up to be a good Yule celebration.

***************************

The rest of the school term was as boring as they didn’t expect. The only exciting event was the prank war that was initiated between Harry and Neville versus the Prewitt-Weasley Twin. Another highlight was shopping for Yule gifts using catalogues from stores all over Europe. With the large family he had acquired, Harry was almost sure his trust vault would be empty by the time his shopping was complete.

He couldn’t wait to experience his first Yule.

****************************

The days before the Yule celebration was spent reacquainting with Cayden and Susan, spending time with the three new Potters, spending time going over his accounts and visiting the different properties to ensure that the elves were healthy and all was well. He also visited many of the businesses that the Potters owned (and those formerly owned by the Blacks) just to ensure that the change in ownership went smoother.

********************************

The Yule Celebration was heavily focused on new beginnings. The Potter Family joined the Kent, Longbottom and Bones family for the Yuletide rituals. They drew aspects from each family’s Yule traditions to ensure that everyone felt comfortable. As the future heads of their houses, Neville and Harry had helped to guide the group during their family’s ritual. 

On Christmas Day (according to Christians), they exchanged the majority of the gifts purchased. It was total chaos. The highlight was when Harry offered everything belonging to the Lastrange Family (including their family magic due to House Black primacy over House Lastrange) to House Longbottom. It marked the end of an era and the start of a new Longbottom Family. 

****************************

Two days before the beginning of the new term, Narcissia showed David the artefact she had taken from the Malfoy Manor which belonged to The Dark Lord. The Black Arts that clung to the book was so thick and strong, it caused the magically sensitive David to gag several times. It was quickly shut in a secure box and transferred to Gringotts for examinations along with the rest of the enchanted artefacts found on the former Black properties.

*****************************

“David! Could you accompany me to Gringotts, it seems that the goblins found something dangerous during their inventory of the vaults,” Augusta said through the floo.

“let me get my cloak and I will meet you there,” he stepped out of the room, almost colliding with Cayden, “Tell your papa that I am going to Gringotts to sort through some problems with the Lastrange accounts.”

“Ok Father, I’m on it.”

David shook his head as Cayden raced away. He quickly gathered his cloak and went to the floo in the welcoming hall.

“Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley.” With was flare of green fire he was gone.

****************************  
“The artefacts seem to contain a fraction of a soul in them. Each fragment varies in size, but belonging to the same individual,” Elder Sharpelance explained.

“These are priceless artefacts, and considering whom they were retrieved from, it is safe to say that The Dark Lord has used these artefacts to prolong his natural life. Is there any way to cleanse them?” David was finally able to put the pieces together. He figured that Voldemort would have some safety measure against death, but was not sure how he would achieve these precautions.

“Yes they can be cleansed for a small fee,” Sharpelance said with a grin.

“Considering that they might be keeping the Dark Lord alive, you may wish to waive such a fee,” countered David. The three artifacts were found during the inventory of the Black and Lastrange Family. The Locket was found in a Black townhouse that was in so much disrepair and had so many creature inhabitants, that the building had to be cleared of all useful things, isolated by wards and gutted with flames to clean it. It was being rebuilt and is to be gifted to young Nymphadora who was in her third year as an Auror trainee at the Ministry of Magic in London. The second artefact, a diary, was given to Bloodspear by Madam Narcissia Potter (former Black). The final artefact, the fabled goblet of Helga Hufflepuff, was found in the bowels of the bank in the Lastrange Family Vault. It, the cup, now belonged to the Longbottom Family.

After a long debate about the cost of cleaning the artefacts, it was agreed that half the price would be paid by the customers (6000G) and half by the goblin nation (6000G). David and Augusta stood witness to the cleaning ritual used by the goblins, and were satisfied that the artefacts were now displayable. The book was given to Dobby to return to its former position at Malfoy Manor as part of Narcissia’s plot to bring the Family to its knees.

*************************

January 5 came all too quickly for the Hogwarts gang of pre-teens. Both Cayden and Susan had left to return to school the day before and now it was Harry’s turn to go back to Hogwarts. 

He had experience his first Yule, and if it continued the same, it would be his favorite time of the year. He finally had ta family and it was as big and as fun as he hoped it would be. All that was let is for him to grow up and get married and have his own children. Then his life would be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think and if it was too vague


	9. Year one in the life of a wizard - Part 3

Narcissia Potter sat in her office at the newly reopened Blackmore Manor in Cardiff. The manor was fairly small with only three stories and two wings. It boasted ten bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, Dining Hall, Ballroom and other rooms suitable for a magical household. The manor now served as her home, gifted to her by Harry via Lord Kent. She knew that Andromeda and her husband was gifted with the Noir Cavern Manor in Essex. Their daughter Nymphadora, was given the former Black Townhouse at 12 Grimmauld Place in London, so that she could get to training easily at the Auror’s Training School. 

It had been three months since Hogwarts had resumed teaching and so all family business was being handled by Lord Kent. Before he had left for Hogwarts, Narcissia, Theodore Potter-Tonks, David and Harry, had spoken in great detail about Narcissia’s plan for destroying the Malfoy family. When most of the details were ironed out, the plan was revised by the Potter Family Solicitor, Jarvis Moore. It was decided that the backlash that may be faced by such a political move, was negligible compared to the amount of good it would do to their political campaign if and when the Dark Lord returned. 

And with that decision made, both Narcissia and Ted began to write her tell-all-book on the Malfoy Family. Ted, a muggle-born wizard who wrote muggle fantasy books. After Hogwarts and his elopement to Andromeda, he was black-listed by the Black family, and found it impossible to work in the Magical community. This forced him to take his family to mundane London, where he studied extensively (and used many confounding spells for the mundane to ignore his lack of school records) in order to gain his qualification as a writer. 

The tell all book was finished. The great number of secrets that Narcissia was privilege to was enough to write several book, but some of the most damning was kept back as blackmail material to keep Lucius in line for the next few weeks. All that was left to do was final editing and it would be complete. They had also decided that the book would be released when all the minors would be either out of the country, or behind their family wards, just in case of retaliation. The release date was the second week into the summer holidays, as this is when the Hogwarts crew would travel to Switzerland to do their examinations at the Magical Institute, and then some remote place with Gringotts, to spend the following four weeks as aides to their workers. This meant that any retaliation would be aimed at adults who could defend themselves.

Narcissia sat in her office, with an almost evil smirk on her face. Lucius Malfoy will rue the day he casted a curse at a daughter of the House of Black turned Potter. The first phase of their plan was to be executed tomorrow morning with the help of the Daily Prophet. In the last three months, the new Potter Family had spent the time reacquainting themselves with the Family Magics, and ensuring that all their Family holdings were safe and private, and keeping the change in family status from the Wizarding community. Come tomorrow, the Wizarding world would be privy to the change in the Potter Family Dynamics.

*******************************

At Hogwarts

The past three months had been both easy and difficult for Harry, Neville and Luna. The Hogwarts curriculum had increased in difficulty and volume and the same could be said for the Magical Institute. The first years were all sure that if the Prewitt-Weasley twins had not taken them under their wings, they would have been overwhelmed. Between each twin it was ensured that spells were mastered and dueling practices was done to relieve tension. The twin would attend the Switzerland Magical Institute full time in the summer and therefore had the time to help the trio with their tasks (they learnt what Hogwarts had to teach long ago).

The twins were also Pranksters. When they found out that Harry was the Maurderer’s heir, they started to prank him and Neville and Luna. It started mildly until The trio had had enough. They began to retaliate. This started a bi-monthly prank war between the groups. This also helped to expand the magical arsenal and keep their senses sharp. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Harry laid in bed the night before the big announcement. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Dumbledore’s face when the new Potter Family was introduced. He could only imagine the wrench that the news would put in whatever plans Dumbledore had for him. With an almost vindictive smile on his face, Harry went to sleep dreaming of the many amusing outcome of tomorrow’s reveal.

*The next morning*

The five friends were among the first of the students present in the Great Hall after their dueling session that morning. The only other person’s present in the Hall were the Professors who oversaw breakfast and a few Hufflepuffs. The group sat at the Gryffindor table on pins and needles in anticipation of the morning’s event. They were joined by Hermoine not long after. She had decided that attempting more than Hogwarts curriculum at this time was foolish and so she stuck to the library during the trio’s practice sessions. 

The first set of owls flooded the Great Hall with screeching. The group, which was later joined by Cedric, had their eyes fastened on the Head Table, particularly, Headmaster Dumbledore. When the Headmaster’s copy of the profit arrived, he paid the bird and took a sip of his tea. It was a bad idea. His astonishment at the headlines caused some malfunctioning in his ancient body. Tea that was aimed at his stomach, decided to take another route through the headmaster’s nostrils, being expelled with great force, splattering all over the table. This caused the headmaster to become the center of attention of the entire Hall. 

Madam Pomfrey reacted quickly, using her wand to ease the headmasters discomfort. Not that it was noticed. Dumbledore’s eyes remained glued on the headlines while his mouth was agape in his surprise. It took a sharp jab from Professor Snape for the headmaster to regain his composure. Without much thought, he turned to say something to his Deputy and then without so much as an explanation to the students, rose and left the great hall.

“Students! Please return to your meals,” were the words of explanation from Professor McGonagall. At that all students turned to their own copies of the Prophet to see the reason for the Headmaster’s loss of composure. 

The New and Improved House of Potter?  
Ian Hinds, Reporter

Yesterday, in a rare sit down interview with the steward of House Potter, Lord Kent,It was revealed  
that over the Samhain (Halloween) Celebration, the Potter Family received some new additions  
and had exercised its rights to the former House of Black.

Yes, you read correctly. The House of Black is no more. It has now become a  
part of the house of Potter. Due to ancient magics invoked by the Heir Potter, the magic and  
members of House Black have been taken by the House of Potter. This is the second time in seven  
centuries that House Potter has undergone this ritual, the first time being with House  
Peverelle. 

Lord Kent would like to welcome to the House Potter, on behalf of its Heir Apparent, its new members.  
Narcissia Potter (formerly Black-Malfoy), Andromeda Potter-Tonks (formerly Tonks), Theodore Potter-Tonks  
(formerly Tonks) and Nymphadora Potter-Tonks (formerly Tonks). It is to be noted that the Malfoy Family  
Has no ties to the Potter Family and that the Lastranges has been handed over to the House Longbottom.

This reporter will be keeping a close eye on this new development and will keep you posted. 

+++++++++++++++++++++

Headmaster’s Office, Hogwarts

Furious was not a word that could describe how Albus Dumbledore was feeling. As he left the Great Hall, several curses were on the tip of his tongue, all aimed at the Potter Heir.

How could his plans fall apart so quickly? Just when he thought things would start going his way, the brat and his guardian threw a wrench in his plans. First by interfering with the way his school operated, and now with his future income from the Potter Vaults.

His return to his office was marked by a powerful magical discharge that destroyed the useless tracking devices that were supposed to ‘monitor’ the Longbottom and Potter Heirs. They were now useless because the boys now wore their Heir rings which would prevent him from removing blood from them without their permission willingly given. As sore as he was to admit it, Dumbledore was no match for Family Magics.

Though being a part of Wizarding society for over seven centuries, the Dumbledore Family never produced powerful wizards who could gather the magic saturating their lands and that of their ancestors, and mold it into a family-based magic. The first produced who could possibly attempt such a task was Aberforth Dumbledore and Ariana Dumbledore, Albus’ siblings. However, after their falling out, and the death of their younger sister, Aberforth lost all will to associate with what was left of his family, Albus. 

In the aftermath of his sister’s death, Albus had tried to harness her magic in order to attempt creating Family Magic belonging to the Dumbledores. Though he had good intentions to secure the future of his family, he also wanted the boost in magic that it would give to him. Unfortunately, or fortunately (based on who you ask), his attempt was thwarted by Aberforth’s cremation of Ariana’s body.

The rift caused by this led to Aberforth disowning himself and Albus on a path to seek power and wealth by other means.

+++++++++++++++++++

“Come in Minerva,” said Dumbledore in his most mentoring voice. The door opened, admitting the Scottish woman into the room. “Did you relay my message to young Harry?” 

“Yes Albus, I asked him to meet you here after breakfast. He however said that his education came first and he would be pleased to meet with you at the end of the school day. His argument was sound and so I allowed him to proceed to his lessons,” explained McGonagall.

The brief spike of anger that flashed in Dumbledore’s eyes was smothered so quickly that the Scotswoman didn’t see it.

“Ahhh yes. Old age causes one to easily forget the thirst to acquire new knowledge. Please could you escort him here before supper tonight Minerva. It is important that I speak to young Harry about his new family as I believe he is making a grave mistake.” 

There was the expected change in Minerva’s face when she realized the Headmaster’s motive. Such a talk was definitely needed as Harry had no idea who the Blacks were and what they were capable of. She resolved to protect Harry from those who wish him harm. Even if said persons were his own family. 

With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore dismissed his deputy so that he could continue to build an entirely new plan around the new circumstances he would face. His only indication that he was alone was the soft closing of his office doors.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Minerva McGonagall was a reasonably powerful witch of Scottish descent. Her mother was cut off from the Donald Clan when she became pregnant with Minerva by a young Muggle. She grew up with dreams of becoming a notable witch and that everyone would know her for her accomplishments and not the circumstances of her birth.

Upon entering Hogwarts (sponsored by her mother’s family) she was immediately taken with the then Transfiguration Master, the powerful Albus Dumbledore. Her talent in the subject led her to become one of Albus’ favored along with Alastor Moody (muggleborn).  
They both of the went through Hogwarts under Dumbledore’s guidance in Gryffindor House. 

Upon graduating, both joined the Auror Corps. Both worked together for almost a decade, climbing the ranks of the Corps. During this time, they also fought in the war against Grindelwald, many times against the man himself, gaining valuable combat experience. 

While Alastor remained in the Corps, Minerva returned to Hogwarts as an apprentice to Dumbledore in Transfiguration. When he ascended to the post of headmaster after the war, Minerva was made the Transfiguration Mistress (after gaining a Mastery in the subject), Head of Gryffindor (despite not being senior staff), and after a decade, his Deputy in all things (despite more qualified individuals being present). 

The first war against Tom Riddle was a reminder to keep her skills in dueling sharp. She had often had to duel the man in the stead of the absent Dumbledore, barely keeping him at bay until reinforcement arrived. 

Minerva made a name for herself. Just as she had hoped. To many of the older population, she was a guardian and Dumbledore’s closest confident, and to each new generation of witches, she was the mark to attain.

That changed when Andromeda Tonks was hired as Potions Mistress of Hogwarts. Never before had Minerva been challenged. Madam Tonks, as her student called her, was the consummate Pureblooded witch, who was gentle but stern, exacting but lenient, and in more recent times, powerful yet impartial. And to make it all wore (or better, depending on who is asked), she was beautiful. 

McGonagall had seen, in the past few months a shift in what is to be strived for. All the houses appreciated Madam Potter-Tonks and the woman demanded the same respect that Minerva worked many decades to achieve. 

Minerva was not happy with that.

She would expose Andromeda for the imposter she is. Even if she had to tear the Black family apart to do so.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Andromeda observed Haddricus speaking to old McGonagall at the end of breakfast and deduced that Dumbledore requested the young Heir’s presence. She immediately went to her office and informed Lord Kent of Dumbledore’s plans via the floo.

Andromeda knew that she was not welcomed by the Headmaster and his deputy at Hogwarts. It was her connection to David that kept her in place at the school. In that order, she decided to ensure that the children under her tutelage had other role models to follow. And that decision led to a power struggle between herself and Madam McGonagall.

This did not startle Andromeda. She had survived the first wizarding war after all. Her sister Bellatrix was one of the most feared death eaters, but even Bellatrix stayed away from Andromeda’s family. 

Their first encounter was in the peak of the first war. The Tonk’s residence was warded pretty scantily so Bellatrix decided to eliminate a stain on Black family pride. She chose to ignore the fact that though she was a powerhouse duelist in the Death eater ranks, her sister Andromeda was always superior. She deduced that her loss of Black Magics had led to a decrease in power and skill for her older sister.

She found out that she was wrong the hard way.

Though Andromeda was magically inferior, her skill was even more efficient than before. She also ensured that her husband was her equal in dueling after almost two years of training (Ted was more powerful). When Bellatrix and her four death-eater friends ripped the wards apart, they were surprised at what greeted them. 

Of the four that attacked the Tonks residence, Bellatrix was the only survivor. She refused to speak about what happened, but warned the others against attacking her disowned sister.

At present, a more powerful Andromeda (thanks to her return to the Black turned Potter Family), had little to fear in the form of Minerva McGonagall and therefore ignored the passive aggressive attitude meted towards her. The stance made her even more popular amongst the Slytherins. 

Now she had family to protect for the power-plays of childish old men, and Dumbledore and his lackey will rue the day the tried to influence the new Potter Family.

*********************

Before dinner Harry was being escorted to the Headmaster’s office by Professor McGonagall. Before he left the Gryffindor common room, he signaled to Neville to contact Andromeda and David so that Dumbledore would be caught in whatever plot he was up to.

As they stepped off the Grand Staircase unto the third floor, where the Headmaster’s office was located, the two were greeted by Andromeda who acted as though she was surprised to see them.

“Hello there Harry.” She turned to Professor McGonagall, “Minerva.” The lack of further acknowledgement and difference cause McGonagall to bristle. “What brings you to this area of the school. I hope you are not trying to skip meals.”

Before he could answer, McGonagall interrupted, “what are you doing here Andromeda, you are to be heading to the Great Hall to monitor dinner. As it is, Mr. Potter’s presence has been requested by the headmaster.” McGonagall was almost smug. The beginnings of a smile slid off her face when Andromeda replied.

“Well I was in my way to see the Headmaster about a slight change in my curriculum. My shift is being covered by Pomona at the moment. I hope you don’t mind me tagging along in that case.” Without waiting for a reply she set off towards the guardian of the Headmasters office.

*******************************

Albus was just going over the speech he would give to Harry when his floo activated. He turned to see the face of a man he wished was never born. Lord Kent was staring at him with almost knowing eyes. 

“Albus,” the man almost glared at the lack of respect “May I come through? I have some changes to discuss with you regarding the budget you submitted to the board for the upcoming school year.” 

Albus was in a bit of a bind. He could not refuse the school board entrance to the school, but he had Harry on his way here. If both were to be here at the same time, David would want to know why Harry was present. This would prevent Albus from speaking freely to his student.

“Of course David, come through,” he replied through clenched teeth. As David stepped out of the fireplace, Albus was alerted that someone (Harry and McGonagall) were on the stairs to his office. There was a sharp knock on the door.

“Come in Minerva.”

“Ah, hello David, I was not expecting you here,” said McGonagall.

“David, how are you doing,” Andromeda stepped through the door, around Minerva to give David a hug.

“Uncle David, what are you doing here,” Harry also stepped around Minerva exposing himself to the rest of the adults.

“Harry?” questioned David, “I was not expecting to see you here. I hope you are not in any trouble.” Though the question was asked to Harry, it was directed towards the Headmaster.

“Not that I know of Uncle David,” came Harry’s reply before the Headmaster could reply.

“Well, let us here why the Headmaster has you here first so that you can go and enjoy dinner with your friends.” David directed the women and Harry towards the Headmaster’s desk, conjuring enough chairs so that they could sit. Minerva refused and went to stand on the opposite side of the desk behind Dumbledore. 

What followed was the most bullshitting Dumbledore had ever had to produce in one setting.

*********************

Upon leaving the Headmaster’s office, a grin broke out on Harry’s face as he remembered the flustered look on Dumbledore’s face when he was set upon by both David and Andromeda.

After being grilled on his reason for summoning Harry to his office, Dumbledore was forced by Andromeda to pay her tutor a further 10G each for their time helping to get the students up to the level they should be at and strong-armed by David to increase the amount of money dedicated to strengthen the castle wards. By the time they were through, Dumbledore looked exhausted and McGonagall looked as though she had swallowed a whole jug of lemon juice.

If this evening was any indication of the rest of the term, Harry would not be seeing the Headmaster outside of meals or wandering the Halls.

**************************

Switzerland Institute of Magic

After the Easter break, which Cayden spent back in England with his family and friends, he and Susan returned to school where most courses were in revision mode for the end of year examinations. At current ranking, the friends were in serious contention for third place among their group.

As it were both had different strengths and where one was less proficient, the other helped to ensure proficiency. 

Though Susan and Cayden were popular at the institute, they had few friends. The preferred to keep to themselves, going as far as to be roommates (a privilege grated due to Cayden’s status as a bearer). This isolation helped to protect them from the more exuberant boys who sought to woo them. Most were discouraged by a few well-placed hexes, which served as a warning for the others. 

One highlight to school life in Switzerland was the constant flow of letters between Harry, Neville, Luna, Susan and Cayden. The letters were massive, and were usually carried by one of their flying familiars. It ensured that the missives were well protected and untampered.

++++++++++++++++++

“Cayden,” Susan called as she entered the room, “The examinations list has been posted in the common area. I was able to copy it before it went up though.”

Cayden entered the small sitting area to look at the List that Susan had in her possession.

ORDER OF EXAMINATION (YEAR 5)  
Charms - June 1  
Defensive and Offensive Magic - June2  
Magical History – June 3  
Mundane History – June 3  
Occlumency – June 4  
Wandless Magic – June 4  
Herbology – June 5  
Potions and Alchemy - June 5  
Transfiguration – June 8  
Dueling Lv1-3 – June 9&10  
Arithmancy – June 11  
Ancient Runes – June 11  
Magical Creatures – June 12  
Elemental Magic Lv1-3 – June 15  
Introduction to Dark Arts – 17

“Well that’s a full two weeks of exams,” said Cayden with a sigh following, “Why don’t they kill us now. I’m going to be so sore and exhausted after those two weeks they’ll have to ship me back home on a stretcher.” 

“Don’t be so dramatic, it looks full but we will have even more time to plan what electives we will add next year. We can attend even more preliminary courses. It will be worth it,” commented Susan. For that she received a stink eye from her friend.

“I miss Harry and the others. Even though we write, it’s not enough,” whined Cayden, “At least we’ll all be together this summer.”

“That sounds great. A summer of fun and adventure. Should be great!”

“Well there’s nothing to do but start studying. If we put it off any longer we will be out of the top 5 and in the top 10. Not gonna happen on my watch.”

With that they began their own preparations for their exams. It was a long six weeks before June.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The week of June 1 came much too early for the student in year 5 at the Magical Institute. The exam pressure was now on. The number of students visiting the Hospital School on the campus increased dramatically. It was only their daily mediation that kept Cayden and Susan out of the Hospital.

As the weeks progressed and the exams passed the entire school began to relax. Both Susan and Cayden were confident that they did very well on the exams and had secured places in the top five of their year group. The only result they were sure of were their Outstanding in dueling as they had both defeated a level four dueling dummy, after level three prove too basic for them. This ranked them as the number one and two duelists in their year.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
The weeks following exams were full of lectures on new courses offered to year six students. They were allowed to add at most four subjects to their current workload. At the end of the lectures Cayden and Susan decided to add three more courses, Introduction to Healing, Magical Theory and Magical Languages. They also decided that in two years they would be join the classes for Ligilimency when they were eligible. 

The rest of the time was spent visiting wizarding and mundane sites all over Switzerland on day trips, and immersing themselves in Switzerland’s culture.

************************

As Neville reviewed for the exams that were to come during the first two weeks of summer, he reflected on the past year. The Headmaster was basically neutered for the year. All plans he had for his or Harry’s life was pulled to a dramatic stop. 

He was happy that the past year was relatively peaceful. The exams at Hogwarts were pathetically easy, with a few exceptions. And the exams from the institute seemed manageable.

He sat and wondered what next year would be like.

**************************

Cho Chang was a conceited girl. She had every right to be. Her parents were wealthy and held a diplomatic station here in the British Isle, and she was considered to be an exotic beauty. 

She wondered around on the seventh floor looking for something she thought she had lost there previously. On her fifth trip along the corridor, she noticed a door that she had never seen before. Without much thought, she entered the room. It was full of junk. As she wondered around, something caught her eye. A beautiful tiara that seemed to call to her. She thought it would be perfect to wear when she attended the Ministry Ball this summer. She quickly retrieved it from the bust it was resting on and wrapped it up in her robes.

Upon return to her dormitory, she stored the tiara in a secret compartment along with her other jewelry. 

She smiled to herself. She will be the most beautiful girl at the ball. Cedric Diggory will finally notice her. 

*****************************

The first week of July marked the return of the first year back to their various family manors. Harry, Neville and Luna were soon portkeyed to the Institute to complete their examinations. The highlight of the first week of summer was the release of Narcissia’s book. 

The first move of the upcoming war was made, and its impact was devastating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, exams and studying had me busy. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this chapter


	10. Summer Interlude 1 part A

**Spinner’s End**

 

Severus Snape was a bitter man.  There was no disputing that fact.  His life had turned out to be as shitty as one could imagine.  He was caught between two masters with no chance of freedom.  That is until

 

A _valon School for Magical Beings_

_Pottermore Castle_

_Isle of Potter_

_Headmaster: Sage Filius Flitwick, Grand Warlock, Master of Transfiguration, Ward crafting, Charms, Ancient Magic and Duelling_

_Potions Master Snape,_

_We wish to extend to you an invitation to become a Potions Tutor to our Mastery students at the Avalon School for Magical Creatures._

_It should also be noted that you will be required to undertake at least one Potion’s Thesis per year.  In addition to this you are also eligible to complete two other Masteries based on your records.  The Masteries you are eligible for are as follows:  Dark Arts, Spell Crafting and Healing._

_Due to your past affiliation with various extremist groups, you will undergo extreme scrutiny before and during your time at our school if you accept our offer._

_We look forward to your response._

_Sage Apprentice Remus Lupin, Arch Sorcerer_

_Master of Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Defensive Magic and Spell Crafting_

 

This might be the break he needed.  Hogwarts was never the place for him, neither as a student nor a teacher.  This position would allow him to work with others who shared his enthusiasm in potions and could lead to major breakthroughs for him.

 

There are only two problems: Dumbledore and Lupin.  Severus was sure that Dumbledore would not allow him to be outside his direct influence, the man had serious control issues. 

 

Remus Lupin was a name from his past that he hoped would stay there; buried forever. He wondered to himself if this was worth seeing Lupin as a superior.  It only took two hours for Snape to decide that there was no shame in trying to make something better of his life.  So he got some parchment and a quill and began to pen his response.

 

_Headmaster Flitwick,_

_Thank you for considering me as a possible student at your school.  I would like to attend your institution, but there are some concerns.  Could we meet at the Leaky Cauldron two days from now to address some issues I am facing?_

_Thank you in advance._

_Severus Snape_

_Potion Master_

 

**************************

 

**Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley**

 

 The first two weeks of Harry’s summer was spent playing catch up and sitting his exams for the Magical Institute. It was stressful to say the least.

 

Since then, he and his friends had begun the Basic Staff Training to become warding assistants.  They flooed to Gringotts every day for the past week to be instructed by the chief goblin warder - whose name could be loosely translated to “Brick Wall” in English – in how best to assist a warder and in setting up Warding camps. 

 

The warders needed to conserve their magical energy to build the wards and therefore all the magic done at the campsite was done by the aids.  Their duties included, cooking, cleaning, healing (when necessary), and warding the campsite.

 

The first thing they learned was what felt like a million household charms that took care of everything one could possibly imagine, or rather what Harry could imagine.  They also learned basic first aid.  It wasn’t enough to heal a person totally, but could sustain life till professional help arrived. 

 

Currently the trainees were learning how to construct Camp Wards.  It was a simple process.  The wards were constructed by the goblin leading the team prior to the mission, and stored on a portable ward stone.  Upon arrival at the camp, the helpers set the parameters of the ward with some charmed stones.  They then basically pushed their magic into the premade ward stone to activate and set the wards.  It was a simple job. 

 

What made it more exciting is that the team you are assigned to will start teaching you about warding in their spare time.  That made these training opportunities highly sought after, even by those who had no intentions of pursuing warding as an occupation.

 

In all the training lasts for a total of two weeks, and then the trainees are divided into groups of varying sizes base on which warding team you are assigned to.  Due to some negotiations, Harry and his four friends were all heading to Colombia and Brazil at the end of their training to aid in warding some potential dig sites in those countries.  It was far away from Britain where the retribution of Lucius Malfoy was surely on its way.  The adults wanted the teens as far away as possible, for as long as possible until the backlash from Narcissia’s book was contained.  

 

******************

 

 “You guys behave and look out for each other okay,” Alex said, again.

 

“Papa, calm down.  We have everything, and we will be safe,” Cayden assured his papa.

 

“Well you guys make a good impression on those warders so that they are begging to have you next year,” was all Augusta had to say on the topic.

 

The group was gathered in one of Gringott’s conference rooms saying their farewells.  Final arrangements were being made for the Ministry ball to be held on the 25th of August.  Due to them being out of the country, there were many things to be finalized before they left, especially Harry and Neville who were ennobled guests.

 

“It is time to leave,” was the final word from Luna.  As soon as she said it, Wardsmith Lovelace, their supervisor on the expedition entered the room to retrieve them.  Hugs were given all around as the teens shouldered their packs and followed Lovelace from the room to their portkey.

 

Lovelace led them further down the passageway into a smaller conference room. The teens entered the room not knowing what to expect.  This was the first time they were meeting the warding team they were to work with.  There were ten people already in the room when they arrived.  When the door closed behind them, the goblin at the head of the table in the center of the room called for silence.  As one, the others in the room moved to grab seats around the table.  Seeing this the teens clumsily followed.

 

“This expedition is not a challenging one going by the reports we received from our scouts.  There are two potential sites that may house the treasures of the Dark Lady Maeve.  In the file before you are details of the sites and some background on the culture of Colombia and Brazil.”  There was a long pause as the group shuffled through the papers in the file.  “We should all introduce ourselves and tell us what role you will play on this expedition for the benefit of our new helpers,” continued the goblin, “I will begin.  I am called Wardmaster Steel shield.  I am the leader of this expedition.”

 

The other goblin stood (made no difference), “I am call Goldeye.  I am a treasure seeker and scout for this expedition.”

 

“I am Jason Lovelace, Wardsmith, and supervisor for the helpers.”

 

“Anna James, Wardsmith and Rune Master.  I decode existing wards and encode the ones we will build.”

 

“Name’s Colin James, Cursebraker and Linguist.  I rip apart existing wards and test the strength of the new ones being set.  I also am the main translator between us and the natives.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you guys. I am Galen Smith, Beastmaster.  I’m here to deal with any malignant creatures we may meet on the expedition.”

 

“Karen Mace, Herbologist. Harvesting wild, exotic plants.” Short and to the point, Neville immediately admired her.

 

“I am Jasmine Quake, Mediwitch.”

 

“We are Shield Agents Rupert, Dawson and Grace.”

 

“Shield Agents, what are Shield Agents?” asked Susan.      

 

“We are the security group hired out by Gringotts.  Think Aurors for hire. We are her to protect the group from human threats.”

 

 “Well I am Susan Bones. Beside me on the left is Luna Lovegood and on the right is Neville Longbottom.”

 

Cayden quickly continued the introduction, “And I am Cayden Kent and beside me is the world-famous Haddricus Potter.” He received a sharp nudge in the ribs for his effort from Harry.

 

Steelshield took control of the room again. “Now that we are introduced, let’s get going. Time is a wasting and so is gold.”  With that the all left the conference room and walk a short distance to the International Portkey room. 

 

In a matter of minutes they were gone.

 

**********************     

 

**Malfoy Manor**

 

Lucius Malfoy was not a happy man.  In fact he was apocalyptically furious.  It all started three weeks ago when his dearly beloved ex-wife published her book.  At first glance it seemed innocent enough, until it was actually read.  It detailed many of what was considered Malfoy Family secrets.

 

The past three week had him playing host to the Ministry Aurors who basically stripped his house of personal wards to find the contrabands he was hording.  They were immensely lucky unlike other times.  The great number of ‘relics’ they recovered was solely due to Narcissia and her tell all book.  The fact that he was not in Azkaban at the moment was testament to how tight his hold on Minister Fudge was.  Yes, he was facing charges, but not in a holding cell due to his status as a model citizen.  

 

There was a sharp knock at the door.

 

“Come in,” Lucius drawled.

 

“Mr. Malfoy. Why did you send for me?”  The stranger was shrouded in darkness.  The stench of death was heavy around him.  Marcel Greaves was a murderer for hire with a long-term contract to the Malfoy Family. 

 

“Mr. Greaves, a pleasure to see you again.  I wish not to dally on the matter.  It seems that Narcissia’s tongue and pen are enjoying her freedom from me too much.  I wish to have her tongue and right hand on my desk at the end of the week.”

 

A boisterous laugh met his end statement.  The laugh continued for several minutes until Marcel came to an abrupt halt with tears still streaming down his face.

 

“You want me to kill Narcissia Potter, as she is called now.  I am no fool Lucius.  I am old enough to have seen several Blacks on a battle field.  I would be a fool to even attempt this.”

 

“It seems that you have misunderstood me Marcel,” Malfoy pushed as much malice in his voice as possible while saying the mercenary’s name, “I am not asking you to do anything, I am telling you to kill that bitch.  Do this and I will give you everything you desire.”

 

“I desire to live for another few centuries Malfoy so I will pass on the opportunity.  I will also advise you not to go against a Black.  They are vicious and will murder you if they can get away with it.  You remember that raid you went on in 1976, when you were knocked out by Sirius Black?”

 

Lucius bristled.

 

“I was there that day, and the only reason you are alive is Narcissia Potter.  Her wand work stunned Dumbledore and the Dark Lord.  Think on that before you commit suicide.”

 

With that Marcel turned and left the Lucius’ study and the Manor.  He hoped the man would take his advice, but doubted it.

 

“Prideful bigot,” He scoffed as he apparated away.

 

*Back in the study*

 

His attempt to have the woman assassinated had failed.  If a notorious Vampyre assassin turned down the task due to fear of retaliation then it was safe to say that the lesser assassins would do the same.

 

“I guess I will just have to do it myself.”

 

With that he stormed off to the Manor Library to do some needed research.  Narcissia’s days were numbered.

 

************************

 

**Nott Manor**

 

Draco had spent the last two weeks with his best friend Theodore Nott at his Manor.  After the release of Narcissia’s book (he refused to think of the whore as his mother), his father had sent him away to Theo’s house with some of the more valuable heirlooms that could be confiscated by the Ministry.

 

This was all Potter’s fault. 

 

Draco would have his revenge on the uppity brat if it was the last thing he did.  He went in search of Theo to help him plan Potter’s downfall.   

 

**********************

 

**The Leaky Cauldron**

 

“Ah, Professor, Master Flitwick is waiting for you in the private sitting room.”

 

“Thank you Tom, please lead the way.”

 

He was escorted to a small room.  As he passed by the door, he felt the immense pressure of the wards covering the room.  He wondered what would happen if he was not admitted and how the wards would retaliate.

 

“Severus. It has been a while.”  The usually cheerful half-goblin was wholly professional I his tone.  Severus realized that this meeting could either free or condemn him.

 

“Sage Flitwick, thank you for meeting me here today,” Severus replied shaking the smaller man’s hand.

 

“Let us not stall.  That mark on your hand is preventing me from totally accepting you into my school Severus.  My Dark Arts Masters have devised a ritual that could possibly free you from the mark.  It is however untested.”

 

“And I would be the ideal test subject.  How sure are they of the ritual’s success?”

 

“They are about 60% sure.  They would however warn you that if the ritual fails there would be no major consequences.”

 

“Well that is good to hear. But if it fails then what?”

 

“Then the Masters would start to research other methods.  But you would not be admitted to our school at this time.”

 

“Well, when is the best time for this to be done?”

 

“No time like the present.  They have set up in a safe house our students use sometimes for whatever reasons.”

 

With that Flitwick produced a portkey from his pocket and offered it to Severus.

 

“Avalon.”  They disappeared in a swirl of magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully the next will be longer and more satisfying. Let me know what you think.


	11. Summer Interlude 1B

**Colombia**

 

The past two weeks were a parody for Harry and his friends.  Unlike what they thought, Gringotts was not in possession of the exact location of the hoard of Lady Maeve, and so the team arrived in Bogotá and used apparition as the means of transport to the last siting of the hoard (which was false).  Since then, the group had been hiking through thick forests.

 

“Let’s stop here for tonight.  It appears as though our aides are unable to keep awake any longer,”  Steelshield said, highly amused at the youths lack of endurance.

 

Camp was easily erected with magic.  The aides went about their chores quickly and efficiently, a testament to how many times they had done so.  With wards erected and supper on its way, Neville, Cayden and Susan collapsed on their backpacks and watch Harry and Luna as they prepared the meal.

 

“You kids know how to etch runes?” asked Anna (Rune Master).

 

“We haven’t covered that in our lessons yet,” replied Luna walking over to the group with their share of the supper, Harry doing the same to the other team members.

 

“Well hurry and finish eating.  You will get your first lesson from me tonight.”

 

This was the first time they were going to learn anything remotely interesting.  Their only instructions from the team members so far involved learning 300 ways to tell directions and 700 ways to signal for help.  Definitely not interesting.

 

It seemed though, that things were about to change.

 

*******2 Weeks Later********

Cayden was cursing  Agents Rupert, Dawson and Grace.  The last two weeks were basically boot camp for the aides.  The only reprieve was that at the end of their third week of searching, the team finally located the hoard.  Their days now were filled with chores, training and harvesting the beast and flora that Masters Mace and Smith wanted. No rests, no breaks. All day, every day.

 

The Shield Agents decided then that they had too much leisure time.  Thus began the dueling boot camp.  Despite being competent duelists for their age range, the preteens were woefully inept when compared to the Agents.  Their first lesson ended with all five of them unconscious after a 10 second duel with Agent Dawson.  Since then the training started in earnest.

 

“At least this summer won’t dampen my dueling skills,” was Cayden’s last thought before falling into deep slumber.

 

*************************

 

**Malfoy Manor**

 

Lucius was ready to admit defeat.  After almost a month of research and hiring desperate criminals to try and off his ex-wife, he was now 40,000G poorer and the wizarding world was 15 criminals safer.  The victims of Narcissia’s wand were scarily pristine.  The cause of their death remained undetermined. 

 

Narcissia on the other hand was almost 100,000G richer from the bounty placed on the heads of these criminals.  She made no secret that the death of these criminals were products of her wand after she was attacked without provocation.  She was now a warrior maiden (or as close as possible with her not being a maiden). 

 

Lucius was at his last resort. 

 

He looked up as the door to his office opened admitting one of the most powerful and wanted creatures in Magical Britain.  Fenrir Greyback was almost folklore.  Powerful victims and ruthless deaths were his modus operandi.  He was the reason for the proliferation of lycanthropy in the British Isle. 

 

“This better be good Malfoy else Whiltshire will have a new, rich werewolf the next full moon.”  His guttural voice made sent shivers of apprehension and disgust through Lucius.

 

“And you just might end up with a silver spike through your chest before the night is out mongrel.  Now that the pleasantries are dealt with, sit and listen to my proposition.”

 

“I’m all ears.”

 

***************************

 

**Blackmore Manor**

 

Narcissia and Andromeda sat in the sitting room each with a glass of vintage elven wine in hand.  They had just had dinner, the two of them, in an effort to reacquaint themselves to the other.  The conversation was stilted at first, but as soon as the wine was served, both relaxed and the conversation flowed easily.

 

It was getting late so Andy decided to stay the night.  She was walking to the floo room to let Ted know she wouldn’t be home that evening.  She didn’t make it there. 

 

The wards surrounding the manor begun to vibrate with a vengeance.  Worried, she turned around and walked briskly towards the sitting room (she was a dignified witch, she did not run unless it was necessary) where she left Narcissia.  Upon entering the room, she saw that Narcissia was looking out the window unto the grounds with a smirk on her face.

 

“What is happening with the wards Cissy?”

 

“It seems that Lucius has finally located his gonads and is launching an attack on the wards so that he can enter the estate.  He has help though, hence the strength of the attack.  They won’t get in without my ‘help’ though.”  With a wave of her wand, she summoned her ominoculars. Spying the two figures at the gate, she chuckled, “Fenrir Greyback.  No wonder her feels sure enough to launch this attack.”

 

Andromeda took the ominoculars from her sister and took a chance to look at the would-be intruders.  She hadn’t seen her ex-brother-in-law in a few years.  Time had been kind to her would-be betrothed.  He was still handsome, despite the ugly sneer he now wore.

 

“Let us go meet our guests Andy.  In the process we can dispose of Fenrir.  The bounty on his head is astronomical, we can share.”

 

A look of pure evil spread across Andy’s face.  In that moment there was no difference between her and the feared Bellatrix.

 

**********************

 

Lucius was just beginning to worry.  Both he and Greyback had been attacking the wards around Narcissia’s home with ward surges (created by the Dark Lord himself) for almost ten minutes, all to no effect. 

 

Without warning the wards surrounding the gates collapsed.  He shared a triumphant look with the werewolf.  A quick blasting spell flung the gates open.  Unnoticed to the men, the gates remained undamaged and as soon as they entered the property, the wards reengaged.

 

They moved quickly down the long driveway knowing that it was foolish to hide as the wards falling would have alerted the Mistress of the Manor to their presence.  Two minutes later, the doors were visible.  It was then that Lucius realized he had walked straight into a trap.

 

“I thought you said there would be one witch here Malfoy,” said an unbalanced Greyback.

 

“That was what I expected.  We can’t back down now though,” was Lucius’ reply.

 

“Hello Lucius and Fenrir.  It was foolish of you to join us uninvited.  Andromeda here has been itching for a fight since her reinstatement to the family.”

 

“Enough talk Cissy.  If these fools believe that you are this easy a target, we better remind them of the power of the Black Sisters.”

 

Without waiting for a reply from her sister Andromeda’s wand was out and flashing.  Unlike what the men were expecting there was no building of momentum starting with first year jinxes and hexes.  Andromeda, followed closely by Narcissia, started the duel with such power that their robes were flapping behind them as though a powerful wind was blowing.  


The men were on the defensive.  It was a testament to their own power that they had yet to fall from the initial attacks.  Lucius was facing Andromeda who was the more direct attacker.  Her curses were so powerful that even Lucius’ most powerful shields were broken by each curse. 

 

Greyback was facing the more slippery and creative sister Narcissia.  The few times he had dueled with Bellatrix and his enhanced werewolf speed and strength, was currently keeping him alive.  Narcissia was easily casting medical surgical charms along with powerful curses and unexpected conjurations to keep him on the defensive. When he got a chance to attack, her conjured items would come alive and intercept his curses without missing a beat.

 

The sisters, even after years of no contact, worked in tandem to separate the two men, until they were standing back-to-back facing their opponents.  The duel had now progressed into its 7th minute when the sisters did something that neither man could even dream of let alone attempt.  Fenrir had finally seen an opening in Narcissia’s defense.  A quick and accurate killing curse was out of his mouth before he was on the defensive again.  As the sickening green curse flew true at Narcissia, time seemed to slow down. Just as the curse entered her magical field Narcissia linked hands with her sister.  In the blink of an eye and in perfect unison both sisters shot blasting curses at the ground beneath their feet.  This caused the women to be thrusted into the air.  The killing passed right beneath them, straight at Lucius, who threw himself to the ground to avoid death. While this was in motion, the sisters used this momentum to complete a 1800 turn mid-air, all while still aiming curses at their opponents.  When their feet touched the ground, Narcissia was now facing Lucius while Andromeda was facing Fenrir.  As the casting began with renewed vigor, Fenrir realized that coming to this Manor was a mistake that he would not live to avoid again. 

 

**

 

Lucius was on his feet again in a split second, all the while shield against curses he couldn’t see but knew was heading in his direction.  Being the experienced dueler he was, he regained his balance rather quickly. He realized that his opponent was actually waiting on him to cast the first spell to start their engagement.  He knew he was facing Narcissia.            

 

“Aaghh! Make it stop!”

 

Taking a chance he looked over Narcissia’s shoulder at the other duel that was happening, or rather ending.  Andromeda it seemed had tire of dueling Fenrir and had him impaled on a conjured stone cross with silver nails.  Torturous and vicious were the only words that he could use to describe this scene.

 

“What is taking so long Cissy.  Kill the ponce and be done with it,” came Andromeda’s harsh advise.  Hearing her voice brought him out of the daze he was in while seeing his accomplice subdued and slowly dying from the silver that was so toxic to werewolves.

 

“I’m giving his some clarity.  He is seeing what happens to those who will cross wands with us, The Potters. I am also going to not kill him because he has a message to take to those who believe us weak and easily conquered.”

 

Hearing this made Lucius sag with relief.  He knew he was outclassed by each witch and it was only by their mercy that he will leave the compound alive.

 

“ _Castro”_ Andromeda’s wand flashed with immense speed. “There is your punishment coward.  You had better pray that your spawn is able to carry on the Malfoy name because you will be of no help.”

 

Her words were chilling. He knew his phallus and testicles were removed painlessly from his person.  He felt the sharp sting of it being severed and he smelt the wound being cauterized preventing the reattachment of the organs.

 

“Leave scum and take our message far and wide ‘The Potters are not to be trifled with’.”

 

With an acknowledging nod Lucius turned and left the estate leaving his genitals behind as a spoil of war.

 

*********************************

 

**Avlon School**

 

“ _Tollere vinculum, gravius est, maior, magnus liberans est, custodiet animam_ ” (Remove the bond, severe the tie, free the magic, guard the soul).

 

Over and over the Ritual Master and his apprentices chanted.  Severus lay as patiently as he could in the center of the Ritual circle being used.  After years of dreaming of this moment, it was almost a reality.  He could feel the beginnings of pain from his left arm, as the ritual untangled his own magic from the magic of the Dark Mark.

 

This was the third ritual that the Potion Master had to undergo in the past month.  The first two had very little effect on the mark beyond lessening its hold on his magic.  This ritual was a last ditch effort for the Ritual Master and Rune Master.  Severus knew when the ritual began, that he would finally be free from this burden.

 

After twenty minutes of chanting, he finally felt the final tether give way. The magic of the ritual room surged briefly to summon the remains of the tattoo from his hand painlessly.

 

Freedom. He was finally free of both his masters.  His vow to Dumbledore could easily be circumvented as his lack of participation in the boy’s life would protect him from those who will wish to harm him because of their association.  He was his own man now and would forever remain that.                       

 

******************

 

**The Borrow**

 

The failure of the past year had meant that Ron and Percy had an increased amount of chores as punishment.  Their father was none the wiser due to his hectic job. And Molly was feeling slighted.  This feeling was only increased by the knowledge that Narcissa and Andromeda had somehow wormed their way back into the upper echelons of the British Magical Upper Class.  They both now bore the name Potter and wielded the political power of their new names with relish.  The only upside to this happening is the long awaited downfall of the Malfoy Family by Narcissia’s hand. 

 

Adding insult to injury, both remaining Black sisters had collected the bounty placed on Fenrir Greyback’s head.  And they did so in a gruesome way.  According to Arthur, both women had portkeyed into the ministry atrium with a crucified Greyback still on the cross. Written above his head were the words: ‘Against the Potters shall no Enemy stand’.   Their message was clear and well received.

 

The Malfoy Lord had supposedly taken his spawn and was on holiday in Magical Germany. Molly hoped it would be a permanent relocation. 

 

“Percy!”

 

“Yes Mum.”

 

“I will be heading to Diagon Alley to pick up some potion’s ingredients. Keep an eye on things until I return.  The usual rules apply.”

 

The potions supply she was buying would aid in her new plan to ensnare Potter.  She would use a subtle compulsion potion coupled with perfume for Ginny to capture the Potter Heir’s attention.  The potion would not cause him to fall in love or become obsessed with Ginny, just ensure that the boy notices her.  Molly was sure that the Weasley beauty would be enough to secure Ginny the boy’s affection.

 

This plan will work and trump whatever Dumbledore was planning.     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully you like it, and the next chapter is in the making.


	12. Summer Interlude 1C

The rest of the escapade for the quintet went as smooth as was expected. The team was charged with the locating and securing of the site before the summer was out, so that the curse-breakers and appraisers would be able to do their part in stripping the site of whatever was remotely valuable. 

 

With their task complete, the group returned to England, with two weeks to prepare for the beginning of school and one to prepare for the Ministry Ball.

 

"You lot have proven yourselves to be valuable aides. You work well together and helped in the smooth operating of the camp," the teens shared a proud look among themselves at the high praise from Steelshield, "we will gladly have you again next year" he added. 

 

"Your guardians are here to collect you," came Lovelace's voice from the door of the Goblin's office.

 

Harry took a step forward and gave the Goblin a deep bow showing the high regard in which he held the warder 

 

"We were happy to learn from you and your company Master Steelshield and look forward to the extent time we meet. May the blood of your enemies stain your sword and your wards stand for ages to come."

The Goblin returned the bow, though not as deep, and waved his hand to dismiss the teens.

***********

"Will you stand still Alex, the children will be here soon," Augustra said with a little bite.

The group had been waiting for almost a hour and a half for their charges to exit the bowels of Gringotts. When they arrived, they had been ushered to the Department of Dividends to sign for the compensation of their wards. The amount wasn't anything to look twice at especially when the accounts they held were extensive. 

 

David placed his hand on his husband's shoulder in an effort to calm him.

 

"What's taking them more than a hour to do. They should have been here waiting on us, not the other way around," Alexandros's anxiety showed in the creasing of his brows.

"PAPA!!!"

Alex turned just in time to gather an armful of his youngest son. David looked on with a fond smile waiting his turn. Harry on the other hand approached slowly, unsure of how to initiate greeting his guardians. 

 

Alex however was having none of his apprehension. He grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him into a hug shared with Cayden. When he was released by the emotional man, both boys were swept in a more controlled hug by David who also planted a kiss on both of their foreheads.

 

The other adults took their time welcoming back the children in a tangle of hugs, kissed and reassuring gestures.

 

As the group left the bank, they were regaled with tales from home and told their parents of what they experienced on their trip. The stories continued all the way down Diagon Alley to Madam Malkin who outfitted the teens for the Ball.

***********

Kent Manor

The Potter family sat in one of the small family dining rooms in the Manor. The young head, sat the the head as his station dictated, with the others spread out around him. Theodore 'Ted' Potter-Tonks was in the middle of explaining the effect of Narcissia's book sales on his investment vaults at Gringotts. 

The meeting was almost over and had reviewed a number of important topics. They discussed the fallout from Narcissia's actions against the Malfoys and Andromeda's new status how it will affect Hogwarts. They also discussed Nymphadora's auror training (her kosher wanted her to quit and join Avalon to pursue multiple masteries now that they had the resources) and he path going forward.

As Ted ended his review, David peeked in to tell them it was time to leave for the Ball. All the Potters were dressed in Family coloured Spider Silk robes and faux dragonhide boots. 

They gathered in the Manor's entrance hall to use the family sized floo. 

The optics would help to perpetuate their reputation of unflinching strength and tempered ruthlessness.

 

***********

Ministry of Magic Ballroom

The garish decorations showed how hard the Ministry was trying to impress it's patrons. To Narcissia it fell short ... way short. 

The properties owned by the Potters were expensively decorated but excessively understated. It wasn't hard to see that the items had great value but it was hard to tell their actual value. She favoured the understated wealth to this farce of the Ministry which resembled the Malfoys.

Their entrance cause a lull in the conversation taking place around the room. They strode through the Ballroom to their table with no problem. Thankfully they were seated with the Longbottoms and Bones family. The Kents, though wealthy, we're not social equals to the other families and so were seated with the Patils and Browns who were on the social level.

As the night wore on, Harry was pandered to by Ministry beurocrats who wanted the favour of his family. Andy and Cissy were on deflection duty through dinner. When the dancing started, families sent their heiresses to dance with the young Lord and curry favour. They were thankfully rebuffed by Susan and Cayden who joined them on the dance floor. 

Harry was forever grateful for the Ball to end and escape his torture.

***********

Chang's Residence 

Cho stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair and makeup was perfect. Her dress was well tailored to suit her body. All that was left is for her to put on the crowning jewel of her outfit. The Diadem of Ravenclaw.

Despite popular opinion Cho was very intelligent. It didn't take long for her to realize that she was now in possession of one of the lost founders artifact. 

Not only would it match her attire for the Ball, but people, when they realize what she was wearing, would flock to her with admiration. The fame she would receive would easily rival Harry Potter. She could hardly wait.

She gently took the Diadem from the box she stored it in, and gently laid it on her head. 

The world went black and her eyes flashed red.

**********

The last week of summer went by so fast Susan could barely keep up. She of course went to Switzerland to purchase her school supplies, played with her friends and familiar and began studying for the coming year. 

Today was the day she a Cayden would leave for school for an entire year without Neville,Luna or Harry. It inspired conflicting emotions in her. 

She was excited to be learning again at school and from new teachers, but sad to be leaving her friends behind in Britain. 

Squaring her shoulders she waved her and Cayden's family goodbye and was wisked away by their international portkey. 

**********

After fleeing England with his tail between his legs, Lucius returned to the families original home in France. To protect his heir he had him withdrawn from Hogwarts and enrolled in a small but highly competent day school in France named Flamel School of Wizardry, after the famous French alchemist. He also falsified their names to avoid the stigma from Britain and wore an almost permanent glamour to hide their distinctive face. 

He was waiting patiently for his vengeance. He was positive the Dark Lord would return and when he did, the Potters will fall under his feet.

But for now he waved goodbye to Draco for the day.

********

"Now, remember to keep your heads down and your grades up. Whatever scheme Dumbledore wants to involve you in, avoid. And take care of each other," David reminded the boys and Luna. As a parting statement he reminded them to "keep an eye on those damn Weaselys"

The three friends boarded the train for another year of Hogwarts. 

**********

"This time you had better not fail the family. We will be rich and guide a new age in Wizardry," Molly said to her three remaining children. 

Gunny nodded eagerly with dreams of even greater wealth, prestige and a castle to live in. She would not fail.

**********

Red eyes watched as Harry Potter boarded the Hogwarts train. He will fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait .... let me know what you think


	13. Resistance and Revolt (Year 2A)

Longbottom Manor

"Thank you all for being here this evening for the annual Governors meeting. I will be cheering the meeting this year," Augustra stated from the head of the long table. 

Before her sat the other twelve members of the Hogwarts School Governors. On the right side of the table sat Governors Potter(Theodore), Bones, MacMillan, Moon, Marshbanks, all members of gray or light families along with Madam Longbottom. On the left side of he table sat the Governors Leverage, Greengrass, Nott, Pucey, Crouch, Avery and the newest Governor Stewart. 

Due to the Black family no longer existing, their hereditary seat was given to the halfblooded Javon Stewart who acted as his own caucus. The flight of the Malfoys from Britain also made the transfer easier as Lucius,the previous Chairman of the Board (he illegally held the Black vote), would have fought tooth and nail to keep his position. Another change the board experienced is the presence of Theodore Potter-Tonks now holding regency of the Potters seat instead of Lord Kent. 

Augustra hoped that with the change in Leadership and the equal number of votes on both sides, the board would now be able to function in their oversight capacity effectively. 

"The first item on the agenda is ... The possible change of curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she continued after the welcome, " We are open to suggestions."

Lord Lucien Leverage was the first to be acknowledged. "My friends and I on the left believe that as wizards and witches, our children should learn as such and be taught as such. Dumbledore in his infinite wisdom, has made it forbidden to practice the holy days that are sacred to our kind. He has removed classes that taught the immigrant population about their new world. He has forced our children of Nobel birth and heritage, to embrace the muggle farce that they call holidays, in an effort to make these interlopers more comfortable. This is a damn shame. I propose this Bill of Correction to my ... colleagues on the right for consideration. I hope we do what is right for our future generations."

The bills were distributed quickly and read in silence. Augustra, as chairwoman of the Board, had already seen the bill and agreed with most of its recommendations. She sat and wondered how Lucien had allowed the Malfoy upstart to usurp his leadership of the Darker families. He was a fantastic speaker and was able to convince a dragon that it was a house fly. But as inspiring as he was, his politics was still opposing hers in most matters. 

She scanned the right side of the table to see if they realized how devious the bill was. She was slightly disappointed. 

For as accepting as the light families were to newcomers, they were still purebloods who loved traditions. With that in mind she realized that most were ready to vote for the bill with no debate of changes. When her eyes landed on Ted, she sighed in relief. As if sensing her approval, he raised his little wand to be acknowledged.

"This is a well crafted bill, I must say. There are however parts of it I disagree with vehemently. The bill asks for an increase in fees paid by the Muggleborn and halfblood students and a cut in those paid by purebloods, and term it as repayment for their induction into our society. That argument is so flawed that I don't even know where to begin my deconstruction. The bill also calls for the dismissal of the Muggle Studies course and Professor because, and I quote 'It is a waste of pureblood time'. While I agree that it is a waste of time, it is due to how outdated the course is that makes it useless and not it's very nature. Finally it calls for a reduction of the number of Muggleborns admitted to the school each year citing that it will improve the quality of education the students will receive. I disagree with that sentiment wholeheartedly." 

As he sat, Augustra could see the other light-sided purebloods realize what a mistake their vote would have been. She could now see that the debates would be long and arduous. She welcomed it.

Change was coming to Hogwarts whether she liked it or not.

*********

Switzerland 

The first two months had gone by so fast that Susan was exhausted. She felt she had experienced a chronic whiplash. Her course load was almost unimaginable, but rewarding beyond measure. The magical muscles were strained from the amount of exercise it was undergoing that she had been feeling a continuous ache in her sternum for the past two weeks. 

He sentiments were expressed by Cayden. He was just as exhausted as she was, but even more vocal than she was. 

At the moment they had just finished reading reading a letter from their friends at Hogwarts. It detailed the changes the school was warring with and against. Their ghost teacher was exorcised from the castle and a new professor was running them ragged to get then to an acceptable level of knowledge in History. Also Wizarding Studies and Muggle Studies were now compulsory for all students, no exemptions. For the boys and Luna, it was a welcomed change, but the other students were furious. Muggle Studies ensured that the student were able to get their GCES at the end of the 3 year course and Wizarding Studies was to give them an appreciation for their magic and the magic surrounding them. 

Cayden and Susan both agreed that it was a small step to correct the problems in Magical Britain

********

Ravenclaw Common room

Cho Chang sat in the center of the common room observing the comings and goings of the other students. Occasionally, when something or someone annoyed her, she irises would flash red for a second before returning to normal.

Her friends have all abandoned her due to her new antisocial behaviour, and have even begun to whisper about her behind her back. But she wasn't bothered a bit about it. 

Though her plans were in its primary stages, it was shaping up quite nicely. Mudbloods and Harry Potter were enjoying the last of their freedom. 

She didn't have the necessary power to kill the stains on Wizarding history, so she was going to free Salazar's beast to cull them. The only reason she had not done so already is because of the lack of power to actually use parseltongue and control the beast. Her first attempts almost cost her her life. 

But she had a year to plan and build her power. She was gathering the ingredients necessary for the Power increasing ritual she would do. 

Thinking about her power increase to come caused her eyes to flash red and a cruel smile to spread across her face. 

Their days were certainly numbered.

**********

Gryffindor Common room

Harry and his friends were in their dorms doing a bit of Divination experimentation under the watchful eyes of the Prewitt Weasley twin and Luna.

Elemental Divination was both powerful and fairly simple for those who had Elemental affinities. It was also the only type of Divination that could be practiced by magical beings that had no seer talent. 

It was taught at the Magical Institute, in years 4 and/or 5. A little pre-preparation never hurt anyone. 

At the moment Harry was generating a sphere of almost solid air. His eyes had lost all colour in his attempt to See. He was focusing on anything that might hinder him from having a good school year.

Just as he was about to give up on Seeing anything, an image flashed before him. That of a Tiara. The feeling coming from it was ominous to say the least.

A shiver ran down his spine. The year just took a dramatic turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the reviews keep them coming. Also am looking for a beta... let me know if you are interested :)


	14. Year 2 - Resistance and Revolts

Avalon School for Magical Beings

Severus Prince

The past year had been the best of his life. It all began when the Dark Mark was finally removed from his person making him feel like a new creature. It didn’t take him long to visit Gringotts on the recommendation of Headmaster Flitwick, to settle any matters that he may not have done before because the next few years would be spent in isolation at Avalon. This move turned out to be another rewarding step to making him a completely free man. Upon visiting Gringotts, he was informed of the Prince inheritance he was afforded through his mother. 

 

His work with potions was now his life. His social connections were limited to his two apprentices and Rubeus Hagrid. Rubeus was an unexpected companion. As a final hurrah for his Dark Arts Mastery, his Master had scheduled a duel against one of the school’s most promising duellist. On the day of the duel, he was shocked to find out it was Hagrid. Severus had vastly underestimated his opponent and had almost lost the match. Despite losing to Severus, Hagrid was gracious and told him that he would love to practice with the former Death Eater to improve his own skill and keep Severus’ sharp. 

 

The final change in his life was Kathrine. She was a Master of Light Magic and a powerful half Veela. During his first week, she decided that he would be her personal project. One night while he was out, she snuck into his room and destroyed all his clothes. To say Severus was upset was a vast understatement. She was quick to offer him reparations for the damage she caused to his property. When he tried to deny her, she turned her Allure on full and managed to get him to agree to her ‘help’. 

The next two days were spent in an impromptu Veela spa in Katherine’s room. She gathered her Vella ‘sisters’ and set about changing Severus beyond anything he thought possible. The first thing to go was his hair. He had no say in what happened so he sat and allowed them free reign on his haircut. They shaved the sides of his head and left him with a top knot. With the aid of a potion, the slowed down the growth time for his hair growth. Next were the most painful procedures conducted by Veela Healers. They broke his nose and had it set properly. No longer was his nose crooked and misshaped. Next, they vanished his misshapen yellowed teeth and used a variant, painful variant of the Skele-grow potion to give him straight pearly white teeth. After that, they began to teach him spells to maintain his hair and teeth. When he pointed out his work as a Potions Master, they taught him another spell to protect his hair from potion fumes. He was oddly touched by their concern. 

The next day consisted of a FULL physical. The Veela Healers seceded he was way too skinny and undernourished. This led to him being prescribed with Nutritional Potions (which he brewed himself). Thinking he could escape them, he decided to have lunch in a secret location. To say he failed miserably would be a mistake. One of Katherine’s ‘sisters’ was always present in one of his class or met him at his door to ensure that he had his potion. The potion ensured he did not miss meals and had certain meal requirements based on how they are brewed. If a meal was missed, the individual would be subjected to hunger pains the likes of which they would never want to experience again. 

They also provided him with a few replacement garments, none of which were black. Severus was horrified that he had no choice but to wear it. No amount of charms he applied to the garments changed their garish colours. This made him even more grumpy in his Tutorials. His attitude only lasted a day before he was confronted by Professor Green, the Head of the Potions Department. He was forced to attend courses in Education and Teaching as a method of ‘self-improvement’. Despite his vehement disagreement with this, he enjoyed his job enough to do it.

The next six months were an adjustment period that he was not expecting. He finally filled out enough that the Veela Healers had him discontinue the Nutritional potions and his daily exercises during Dark Arts dueling, improved his musculature by leaps and bounds. They also finally took him shopping to replace his entire wardrobe. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. He had very little choice in what was chosen. At least the colours were not as garish as they were in the past months (he did not realize that the outfits were compliments of the very flamboyant Veela ‘brothers’). 

While in Switzerland, the only purchase Severus made was at a wand-crafter’s shop. The man was nothing like Olivanders which was a relief. He was easily paired with a new custom wand. The wood was Yew and Ebony (like his old wand), representing the strength of his magic and his fortitude in using his magic in defense of himself and others. For cores, he was awarded a phoenix feather for a variety of magic especially healing, and the tail hair of a Werewolf Alpha for his ‘pack mentality’. It was a powerful wand that he appreciated and could not wait to use. 

At the end of his first year, Severus was a changed man. He was still an unpleasant person in general but it was more so to do with his personality than any vindictive feelings and thus he was more easily tolerated in Avalon. His few friends also noticed that he was very protective of them as evidenced when Katherine’s boyfriend cheated on her. Severus cursed the Veela so badly that all his clothes will be ill-fitting and he was bald for two whole months. Even his teaching changed. His students and apprentices enjoyed his lessons and he was sought out after class for further help.

Life was looking up for Severus Prince and he was sure to make it stay that way.

 

Rubeus Hagrid

The past 8 years were eye opening and life changing for the half-giant. After the first seven years in time-flux, Hagrid started his Mastery studies in Magizoology, Education, and Defensive Magic. All these areas were difficult especially considering he was doing general studies and not narrowed down to Dragon lore or some other Mastery study. It still remained his dream to be a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and so he needed as much knowledge as possible. 

He also made several acquaintances and even friends in Avalon, the best of which was Severus Snape turned Prince. The past seven months saw them meeting three times a week to duel and chat. Keeping up with Severus would have been impossible before completing his basic education, but now he did so with minimal difficulty. He was proud of himself. 

One of the things he corrected in the past year was learning more about Giant culture. It was fairly easy with the resources available to him in the Avalon Library and the other half-giants who studied alongside him. 

Romantically, he was doing well, he met the Headmistress of Beaubaton School of Magic in France. She was currently on a sabbatical to Avalon to see if it were possible to improve the quality of education her school offered. She was also pursuing a dual Mastery in Education(for obvious reasons) and Enchanting to compliment her Charms and Transfiguration Masteries. The pair had been on several dates already and were enamored with each other.

Despite his rocky early life, he was also making a name for himself in the Magical world. He had snuck into the Forbidden Forest before the beginning of the school year and convinced Aragog and his children to move to the only property owned by the Hagrid Estate. It was a small island off the coast of Whales that was home to a small family of Welsh Greens, and very fertile lands that supported a forest teeming with prey and predators. As part of their agreement, Aragog and his children allowed the house elves attached to the property to harvest some webbing and venom each month, as they do with all the other creatures that make the island their home. 

This steady income caused the Hagrid vault to swell and he even had to have its dimensions adjusted to prepare for the influx of profit from the stored harvests (despite trying, Dumbledore could not adjust the percentage of material sale of what was harvested by the elves and so percentage material sale his father dictated was what was followed by the Goblins and elves. There were barns full of preserved harvested material). 

Life was looking up for Hagrid. He was a few months away from a triple mastery and his dream job. All he had to do was complete his study and he would be the happiest half-giant there is or ever was.  
*****  
Flamel School of Magic

The remainder of the summer was miserable for Draco Malfoy. His father thought it in their best interest to move them away from everything he knew and all the plots of revenge he had planned. His new school was way better than Hogwarts academically, but he had no power there. The strict anti-bullying policy of the school had him in a twist on several occasion. 

The was also his father’s new marriage to a french mudblood. The woman was unbearable and way too in love with his father for Draco to stand. His father ‘loved her nonetheless and had her adopt him during the Yule holiday. 

This was both a blessing and a curse. Draco was now a Half-blood. His new mother was fairly powerful and he inherited this power along with a new ability. The Malfoi later called Malfoy family originated in France and were sheep farmers for many centuries before fleeing to Britain to escape the persecution of beast speaker. The Malfoy family were known for their ability to speak to Bovines and Avians. Draco was now an Avian speaker and he loved every moment of it.

His mother was also something of a Magical scientist and was now looking into expanding their family without the aid of his father’s testicles. He was hopeful that she would be successful, or else Drac knew he would be the alternative, and he did not want to be a parent before he was 15.

At the moment he was in his History class wishing he was at Hogwarts to help Theo Nott bring Potter to his knees.

Hogwarts School

The year was almost done and Harry was still seeing the tiara during his divination practice. The sight was unsettling, to say the least, but since it had no practical repercussions he chose to ignore it and keep it to himself. 

The year was not a stressful one. With the help of the Prewitt-Weasley twin, spells and essays were easily handled. Even Hermoine was far ahead of the Hogwarts students of the same age due to associating with Harry and his friends. 

The only real annoyance at Hogwarts was the ascension of Theodore Nott to the position formerly held by Draco Malfoy. Unlike Draco, Theo was fairly intelligent and sly. He was easily countered by the fact that his peers (who were equally devious) were not interested in taking down Potter or were woefully inept. Therefore, aside from a few confrontations, he was very unsuccessful. 

Yule followed the same pattern as the year before with everyone gathering at Longbottom Manor to celebrate the holiday. Cayden and Susan were still in contact with their friends from Hogwarts keeping them posted on what to expect during the Summer for their examinations. 

Ravenclaw Common room

Cho/Tom was becoming more impatient as the school year drew to a close, especially with the announcement that the school wards will be upgraded over the summer holiday. The ingredients for the power increase ritual were almost all collected. All that remained outstanding was Acromantula venom. A forest once crawling with the creatures, was now deprived of even one. It irked Cho/Tom beyond belief. 

Now they needed to find the venom before the end of the year or Tom would need a new, more powerful host. The only issue with the second option is Cho’s new status as a social pariah. No friends and a known selfish individual made it impossible for the diadem to be passed around easily. Also as soon as he possessed another, Cho would be free to inform law enforcement about Tom. If she died suddenly, it would be easily deduced that she was exposed to possession. The situation was a loss on all sides.

But he was Lord Voldemort, he would not be hindered from his greater purpose so easily. If necessary, he would make the girl absorb one of his other Horcruxes for more power. That was the last resort, but it will be done if necessary.

Headmaster’s Office

Cursebreaker Julian Baker had somehow avoided the curse of the DADA professor for almost a second year. Now he was meeting the head teachers of Hogwarts and the Board of Governors to present his findings. He had a feeling the Headmaster will not be pleased with what he found.

“Mr. Baker your findings please,” the voice of Madam Longbottom shook him out of his musings. Madam Sinistra (Head of Slytherin), McGonagall (Gryffindor), Sprout(Hufflepuff), Vector (Ravenclaw), along with all the members of the board and Headmaster, all turned to hear what the Cursebreaker had to say.

“I have identified the general location of the curse and the mechanism under which it is located.” He paused to take a drink of water. “To get to the curse we have to have a Parslemouth to unlock the chamber underneath the 2nd-floor female restroom. We will also need a beast slayer to take care of what I believe to be a Basilisk.” 

Gasps were heard from all those in attendance except the Headmaster.

“If this beast is killed, it can be claimed by the school to pay for the many upgrades that will be implemented in the years to come. Which we will discuss soon,” said Lord Leverage 

“I agree. This could be a great thing for our school. Are there any other recommendations Mr. Baker?” inquired Madam Longbottom.

“I would recommend you contact Avalon School to provide some experts to assist me. I am sure they will do it for a fraction of the cost if you go through a guild or other route.”

“Noted. I do not believe that is necessary between the teachers here we will be able to flush out the beast with no additional costs,” simpered Dumbledore. He believed that the boon of no additional expenses would sway the members of the board.

“That will not be necessary. We will hire the EXPERTS, and get this done as soon as possible.” Lord Greengrass easily refuted the Headmaster’s assertions once and for all. 

“Well thank you Mr. Baker. We will be in touch. Very soon.” Madam Longbottom 

Julian quickly exited the room.

Change was in the air and nothing could stop it, and if they tried, they would be steamrolled out of the castle.


	15. The Summer of the Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hagrid vs Tom vs Dumbledore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to say that i do not own anything but my original characters, and make no profit from this story ... now on with the plot.

Hogwarts castle was alive in the summer for the first time since he assumed the role of Headmaster. To make it worse, it was filled with goblins and independent ward smiths. People he had never heard about and who he had no sway over. They walked past him without the slightest inclination that they were in the presence of greatness. 

Along with these people, the summer brought a face he thought he would not be seeing for some time yet. The Avalon school sent a team of their best beast masters to conquer the beast lying in the way of the DADA curse. Among them, in fact, leading them was none other than Rubeus Hagrid. Upon seeing the Headmaster, the first thing he did was hand him a resume for the Care of Magical Creatures course at Hogwarts. Dumbledore smiled at the simple-minded man with all his grandfatherly charm. Professor Kettleburn had retired at the end of the last school year so the position was vacant. He had no intention of hiring the Half-giant, even if he had to teach the class himself.

He followed the team to the 2nd-floor washroom where the sink was opened by a woman of Indian descent, she, in fact, looked suspiciously like the Patil twins who were enrolled in his castle. The team, with the Indian woman leading the way filed one by one down a narrow staircase into a dark, dank abyss. One by one as the visibility decreased, the magicians lit the tip of their wands to offer some relief from the darkness. 

Finally, they got to the end of the stairs and the sight that greeted them was astounding. The floor was covered with bones from many small and medium-sized critters. There was no place to stand let alone walk. The team set to work like a well-oiled machine. Bags were conjured, and the bones were easily moved into the bags which was then banished. 

While the team cleared the way, Julian stepped forward wiggling his wand in the air as if searching for some signal. It appeared as though he found some directive because he led the group across the clean marble floor, through a large tunnel and into another cavernous room where another sight greeted them. Lying in the room was the longest snakeskin Dumbledore had ever seen. It was at least 70feet in length and 8feet radius. The most surprising thing was that it appeared whole as if the snake had just walked right out of it like shoes. A short man from the team who from his physical appearance, was some kind of Veela or Fairie, excitedly skipped forward to examine and the collect the skin, which still had a full set of armored scales attached to it. 

At the end of the tunnel was a door with the face of a Gorgon embellished on it. Julian and the Patil woman stood before it in deep conversation that no matter how many wandless eavesdropping charms he cast, Dumbledore was not privy to their discussion. In record time the skin was cut with spells used to cut diamonds (the harshest cutting spells) and placed in boxes with preservation charms. The team huddle together whispering in low tones which Dumbledore again was not privy to.

“Ok Hagrid, what’s the plan?” Julian enquired.

“Ok. So we will enter along with Pamela and subdue the beast. Without its Master her to command it, it should be fairly easy to neutralize. Also, as per our arrangement with your school governors, everything other than the Basilisk and the cursed item, belongs to Avalon. Headmaster, you will remain here. Everyone else suit up,” Hagrid commanded. Dumbledore was shocked at the way Rubeus handled himself. He was nothing like the man that left this institution two years ago and it was almost insulting enough that Dumbledore was ready to protest about his inaction in the plan. All thoughts of protests died when he saw the group now dressed in battle armor and visors covering their eyes. The visors were covered in runes, which from a distance was impossible to decipher. 

“What purpose does the visor serve?” He questioned the same Veela/Faerie man, cheeks flushed with his shame at his ignorance. 

“The runes allow us to look into the eyes of the serpent without fear of death or petrification.” With that, the team assembled in a formation similar to that of a wedge, with Hagrid in the lead. At Pamela’s hissed words the Gorgon embellished door swung open with nary a squeak. 

Tibet

Neville wondered to himself ‘why did he sign up for this torture?’. Three weeks into his second summer holiday marked his second expedition as an aid to a Gringotts treasure seeking team. He and his friends had done such a fantastic job the previous year that they were requested by the same team as the previous year. All five of them were elated to be back. 

This summer, the team was contracted by a group of monks to find and retrieve relics of their religion, that was lost when their ancestors had to suddenly flee their temple for fear of their lives. Over the generations, the location of the temple was lost and so the monks needed the help of the Goblins to locate the temple and retrieve their relics. 

To act as an aide, the monks sent one of their masters to travel with the group. He was a short unassuming old man named Oolah. He was positively ancient walking with a staff longer than he was tall and so hunched he was almost at a 90-degree angle. His unassuming nature was but a front. On the first night, the man gathered the teens and told them that he was going to give them a lesson. He told them to form a circle and sat in the middle. He then removed a sphere of pure jade and told them to take it from him. The failed miserably. 

Since that night the teens were in strict meditation to get in touch with their chi. From what Oolah told them, the chi is the magic that infuses their muscles and governs the ‘animal self’. It was almost like finding their magical cores but taken a step farther. Due to their Occlumency class at the Institute, the teens were able to skip most of the first and second stages of accessing their chi.

The next step was to find their animal self. When Cayden made the mistake of calling it their Animagus forms, he was properly chastised. The animal self was something sacred and not some bastardized ritual to conform the soul to human perception. Though connection with the animal self, practitioners of chi magic, were able to tap into special chi magic and martial art forms dedicated to the animal. Currently, the teen's meditations had fostered a closer relationship and almost familial feeling among them. Oolah pointed out that it might mean that they are either the same animal or closely related. This excited the teens and they were itching to see what animal they were.

Neville was the first to spot his animal self two weeks since their initial searching. He was a russet coloured wolf. Minutes later the others found their animal selves. Harry a pure black wolf, Susan a wolf with red fur. Luna was a grey wolf and Cayden a pure white wolf. Oolah was ecstatic cause they were an entire pack. Harry being the alpha and Neville his beta, they became a true family. 

The three weeks before the discovery of the temple was full of exercises in addition to the chores and dueling training from the Shields. Every night they went to bed sore and exhausted. 

It took them a total of six weeks to find the temple. And a fulfilling task it was. On the final day with the crew, Oolah presented them with scrolls depicting the different wolf forms they were just being exposed to and details of how to fully transform into their animal selves. He also gave each of them a leather necklace with jade pendants carved to look like wolves. Inscribed in the leather and pendant were runes for protection and ownership that activated the second they were worn, pulling the energy to function from the wearers magic and chi.

Hogwarts Express(Last day of the term)

Cho/Tom quickly exited the train, before it left the Hogsmeade station, under a disillusionment charm. They started a long trek through the forest which was infinitely safer with the removal of the acromantula colony. Their aim was to enter the Chamber of secrets through an alternate but more treacherous entrance meant for the Basilisk to enter and exit. It took them almost 9 hours to find the entrance and climb the waterfall safely towards the concealed entrance/exit. They had exhausted her trust fund to purchase the required venom for the ritual and now needed a ritual room to perform it in. The ideal place would be Salazar’s Chamber. They planned to stay there the whole summer holiday so that the wards would not identify Tom’s presence. 

The ritual went smoothly. It only took two days for the pair to recover and wake the Basilisk to assess its readiness and hunger. They deemed the snake sufficiently bloodthirsty and its hunger driving it to the brink of madness. 

The next week was spent reacquainting himself with Salazar’s impressive collection of tomes. The first Slytherin was not picky about what was housed in his library, as long as it was powerful magic it could be found among the treasures. The beginning of the next week brought some unexpected visitors to the chamber.

Tom/Cho had just completed their work on Cho’s pitiful Occlumentic shields when the doors to the chamber swung open revealing a group armed for battle. At the helm was the oaf Hagrid who Tom had expelled almost half a century ago. 

Hagrid POV

Upon entering the Chamber the Vampyre to his right nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Possession. There is foul black magic in this chamber. It stinks of a person possessed. Rotting.” All this was said in a whisper as to not alert the only person at the other end of the chamber.

The girl at the other end of the Chamber turned to the statue and said something in Parseltongue which caused the mouth to open. 

Cho/Tom POV

The shock that his ancestor’s sanctuary had been discovered before his plan could manifest did not paralyze the Dark Lord. He knew by the way they entered the chamber that this group was well trained and there was no way they would escape without a distraction. So, without much thought, he summoned the monster housed in the bust of Salazar Slytherin.

Hagrid POV  
The team watched in fascination as the monster slithered from the bust. Almost 90 feet in length and at least 19 feet in diameter, it was a true beast. Some part of Hagrid was sad that the snake had to die, but a look into the eyes of the monster revealed that it was beyond aid.

“James, Victoria, do not let that girl escape the chamber. We will deal with the beast. Do not kill her under any circumstance,” Hagrid instructed the two Vampyres on his team. With inhuman speed, the two were off across the floor sealing all the places that led out of the chamber as they went. They moved so quickly they were a blur. 

As the Vampyre moved closer to the girl, they quickly realized that the stench of possession came from her. They knew that if they confronted her, the spirit might forcibly leave her and kill the child in the process. And so they prepared to cast a runic spell to seal the spirit and prevent it from leaving the girl without the aid of an exorcism.

The other members of the group wasted no time assaulting the beast.

Cho/Tom POV

They felt more than they felt the spells coming their way. Tom raised the most powerful shield he knew. It was all for naught. He felt the spell, which he recognized as runic in origin, rip away his connection to the diadem, effectively trapping him in the teen’s body. Given time to process and analyze the spell would allow him to break it and flee, but they were dodging and shielding against the spells being flung by two assailants. 

Taking in their surroundings, Cho/Tom realized that they were boxed in and no physical route of escape was available. 

Shit just got real.

Hagrid POV

The issue with Basilisk over 200 years old is that they lose their aversion to the rooster's cry. By that advanced age, the cry is more irritating than anything else. This does not mean that roosters are not helpful. The other 8 people on Hagrid's team had conjured or otherwise summoned roosters to annoy and distract the snake, while the magicians worked to contain and kill it. 

Such a task required quick thinking and even quicker casting of transfigurative charms. And the team was up to the challenge. It took them almost twenty minutes to transfigure and reinforce enough bands of rock to anchor the snake to the floor of the chamber. Hagrid then walked forward and skilfully killed the beast by stabbing it with a dragon forged sword made from Diamond. 

It was only slightly anti-climatic. Thankfully all the team member survived with minimal injuries and all limbs intact. 

There was only one thing left to do and it was to subdue the teen.

Cho/Tom POV

One thing Tom did not account for is the fragility of his host. While her capacity for magic was increased, it could not stand against two fully trained and obviously powerful Vampyres. The number of spells and strength of the shields needed to rebuff them was draining the girl faster than he could believe possible. 

He had one of two choices, surrendering or death. He chose the latter.

Gathering the last of the girl’s reserves to slit her throat to silence her forever, he did not notice the overpowered stunner from the Veela approaching him from behind. All he knew was the darkness of the teen girl’s mind as she struggled against the cage she was sequestered in by the possessing wraith.

He knew this game would be up soon and he was not happy. If the girl were only more powerful and driven then he would have succeeded. Harry Potter will live to see one more day, or at least until another of his Horcrux has the honor of ending his miserable existence.

That’s when he felt it. A weak link in the runic spell. This was his chance. He walked over to the girl ready to kill her and take his leave. As soon as he raised his hand to end her, the runes flared forming a shield around her consciousness. He would not be able to physically harm her. He could, however, seal her memories of their encounter and plans. He knelt and began writing a series of runes aimed and sealing the knowledge of his existence.

Hagrid POV

The first thing the did was escort the teen out of the chamber to the Hospital wing. The Headmaster trailed them asking questions as he was unable to get into the Chamber even after the skirmish was done. 

After securing the girl in the Hospital wing, he explained to the Headmaster what they encountered (omitting the presence of the diadem). 

Dumbledore’s POV

‘Tom must have possessed the girl. But it was not the time for his existence to be revealed. All the plans were not yet in place. He had to free Tom.’

He quickly raised his wand and fired a spell to weaken the binding of the runic spell.

“What the hell do you think u are doing,” it seems as though the half-giant was more knowledgeable than he was expecting.

“Its just a simple diagnosis char…” he did not get a chance to finish his statement. A grey wraith flowed out of the girl’s mouth and nostrils. It gathered and congealed into a blob the radiated evil. It wasted no time fleeing the castle grounds with a haunting scream.

Hagrid POV

‘The fool Dumbledore had freed the wraith intentionally. After all the energy put into keeping the girl alive, the aging fool almost killed her with one spell.’ 

But why would Dumbledore do such a thing? This would have to be further investigated by the DMLE and school governors. His work was down in the Chamber, and that’s where he headed after giving Dumbledore the stink eye.


	16. Summer of the Wolf Part 2

Gladius opened his eye lazily to look at his human. It has been a little over two years that they had been together, and Gladius has yet to regret his choice to hatch for the young Storm elemental. The Harry-child was special. While he had a mild affinity for wind, like Gladius he was the first Storm elemental in almost two centuries. Their infrequent appearance ensured that people often miss the signs of the Stormbringer.

Now Gladius bided his time. In another two years, both his and his human’s magic will be mature enough for them to communicate. When this happens, he will finally be able to help the child unlock the greater potential maturing in him. For now, he will play the part of the messenger. Ferrying letters from his human to his mate in Switzerland, and try to catch the ever elusive and flirtatious Triton. Gladius knew the ice dragon would be beautiful and powerful at the end of its maturation and wanted to secure his affection before that swine Demetrix (Neville’s dragon) started to get any ideas in his pebble mind.

His human was almost ready, two years was but the blink of an eye for Gladius.

***

The end of the school year was both a relief and disappointment for one Severus Prince. He believed that he finally understood the passion of passing on knowledge to those competent enough to receive and appreciate it. On the flip side, it allowed him to focus on his newest project.

Werewolves.

The raiding of the chamber of secrets by the creature and treasure team, led by his friend Hagrid, yielded an entire library of ‘Dark’ books written by some of the most reviled names in Magical History. The one he was most interested in was written by Ishmael the Prophet. The man was truly a Black Wizard. His experiments were grotesque, to say the least. Thankfully all but one was stable enough to be propagated. It was late one night while he was reading the man’s writing that he encountered the story of the creation of Lycanthropy.

  
‘ _And of the Lycan village in the desert, my concoction has mutated their genes. No longer is the trait passed on through inheritance. New lycans will be born of the bite and be bound to the phases of the moon. The Lycan will retain their human physiology the days leading up to the full moon. On the night of the full moon, they will experience a total change in physiology in that of a Lycan, which will be accompanied by the loss of conscious thought to the wolf and immense pain.’_

The book went into further details about the change and how it was propagated through the use of potions. The man was so sure about the irreversible nature of his concoction that he even included the full recipe and methodology of the potion. His hubris would be the redemption of Severus Snape turned Prince.

July was hectic and exciting in the Potions department at Avalon School. The apprentices were all placed under the guidance of Master Prince. His every command was obeyed without question. They knew they were about to be a part of a monumental change in the Magical World. It would change their lives forever.

Severus was more concerned with the process rather than the brewing. Avalon boasted several competent brewers, it was the analysis and dissection of the potion he was most focused on. At first, he was sure that he could do it with one potion and be done with the whole thing. As the months moved from July to August though, he realized that the process needed to be undone through potion and ritual to sever the connection to the phases of the moon. The ritual was easily deduced and set up for their test subjects. Remus Lupin was one such subject.

Severus was confused about how he felt about Rem…Lupin. The man was a brilliant wizard and his work in Spell Crafting and Arithmancy was unparalleled. Without the label/stigma of Marauder or Monster attached to him, he flourished. The generous use of and upgraded Wolfsbane potion each month had also helped the man to finally look somewhat healthy. And attractive. Severus could not deny that Remus, dammit, Lupin was an attractive towering man at 6ft4” (compared to Severus’ 5ft10”) who radiated power and demanded respect. A fitting change to the follower he was during his Marauding days.

It was almost time for Avalon to begin classes again. He was so close to deducing this potion. He could feel it in his bones. He just needed a few more days without Lupin crossing his mind to distract him. He would do this. He had to.

***

Hogwarts

The Board of Governors sat in a circle in the Headmaster’s Conference room. The mission of the Chamber of Secrets was very successful. The school’s coffers had tripled with the sale of the Basilisk meat to the Goblins. The other parts would possibly quadruple their current balance in Gringotts.

They were now gathered to learn of what had happened in the chamber and the events that followed. What they were aware of is that a student was harmed during the mission and was now in the Dark Arts division of St. Mungo's.

“The mission started and progressed well with the first recovery of Basilisk skin that was easily dealt with. Things got more tricky when we actually entered the chamber. The seemed to be someone in the chamber who was later identified as the student Cho Chang. A member of my team who happened to be a vampire recognized that the girl’s actions were not her own and she smelled like a person possessed. Surprisingly, she was able to summon the monster which she instructed to attack us. Fortunately, two of our team members were able to block her exits and TEMPORARILY incapacitate her and the invading spirit.” Hagrid paused in his report to acknowledge a question from Lord Stewart

“You said temporarily. Were they not powerful or knowledgeable enough to restrain the possessing specter?”

“A valid question that will be addressed soon. We were able to subdue the beast fairly easily with no major injuries. Julian and Pamela were able to reveal the other secrets of the chamber. There were several rooms and a vault much like the ones at Gringotts, which contained what we believe to be the Slytherin Fortune. Also, we found a hidden library and a stocked potions laboratory that is large enough to house an actual class. Finally, we found the curse on the Defense position and it has been broken by a combined effort with Parcelmagic and curse-breaking spells. This school can once again have a steady DADA teacher. I would suggest getting someone with experience in teaching this time.” The final comment caused most of the Governors to chuckle as they knew that though Julian was knowledgeable on the subject, it often took the students several sessions to grasp the lessons. This meant that not a lot was covered, especially among the lower years.

“And what of the possessed girl,” reminded Stewart.

“I, along with the headmaster escorted her to the Hospital wing in preparation for the exorcism. When we got there, the headmaster decided to disturb the spells constraining the spirit. It gave the spirit an exit that left the girl trapped in her own mind despite being unharmed. I will take, at the very least, three months to find and rehabilitate the girl. If the spirit had been exorcized as we had planned, this process of rehabilitation would have taken, at most two weeks. Also, it also made it possible for the spirit to wipe the girl’s memory clean.”

“Headmaster, what do you have to say for yourself?” Questioned Lord Pucey

“I was not privy to the spells that constrained the spirit and so when I cast my spells to identify the kind of possession and spirit, it, unfortunately, disrupted the spells. It was totally unintentional and it was with great sorrow that I informed Ambassador Chang and his wife of my part in this situation. They have forgiven me for my thoughtless actions.” Dumbledore was sure that this would be the last of it. He already saw several of the Governors and Heads of House agreeing with the Changs with subtle nods.

“Excuse me. Headmaster, I was not aware of you gaining a Mastery of the Dark Arts, Mental Arts, Ritualistic or Runic Magic. When did this happen?” This one question from Governor Potter caused the others to look at him with interest.

“Governor Potter, I have dedicated my life to fighting the Dark Arts. I do believe that would grant me some leverage to the title of Master, or at least Journeyman in the field.”

“Is that so? If that is the case, what spell did you use to identify the spirit and please explain what the expected results of this scan would be?” If he were a lesser man, Dumbledore would be sweating. However, he would not be implicated by a mere muggle-born, no matter the surname he now bore.

“Well Mr. Tonks (subtle), it was a spell I learned in my travels to Central America. I was created by the Aztecs who had trouble with possessions rather frequently. What it does, is that it gives the caster a glimpse into the motivation and methods of the invading spirit and thus made it easier to identify the spirit. The incantation is  _ **Fugiam dominum hac revertens**_.” Pleased with the plausible bullshit he just spouted, he leaned back in his seat to survey the effect of his ‘explanation’.

 

“The Aztecs have had problems with possession. But it is well documented that the possessed person is sanctioned to death as they have no means to extract the spirit as we do. So either you lie Headmaster, or whoever taught you that spell is having a good bloody laugh at your naïveté.” Hagrid narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster.

 

“I do not believe you, Headmaster,” interjected Lady Longbottom, “It seems as though you are concealing something from this body. For what reason is yet to be determined but that does not mean we cannot act. Base on Mr. Hagrid’s recount and your lack of a truthful account I propose that the governors move to have the medical bills of Miss Chang be covered from your personal funds Headmaster. Also, I move to have you placed on probation for the next year. What say the rest of you?”

 

This was far from what he expected. These weak, powerless interlopers were interfering with his kingdom. Knowing that his protesting would only make the situation more damning, he hung his head in an attempt to show contrition.

 

A privacy screen was erected around the Governors as they discussed what was proposed. It was the longest fifteen minutes in the life of Albus Dumbledore.

“We have decided to accept Governor Longbottom’s proposal. With this in mind, we have listed the rules that will be enforced during your probation.” Lord Nott passed a sheet of parchment to Dumbledore with a smirk on his face. The only tell that the Headmaster was furious, was the glint of fury that passed over his eyes just before it was smothered.

 

“Excuse me. I feel it important to ask if before I go, I could be informed of the status of my application for the post of the Magical Creatures post.” Dumbledore almost lost it then. Almost. All eyes turned to the half-giant.

 

“We were not aware of your application. Since we are all here, we can just do the interview right now. Headmaster, would you be so kind as to retrieve the applicant's resume,” Lord Greengrass said.

 

The headmaster quickly excused himself to retrieve the document that he had almost destroyed when he received it. Luckily he did not. He took the time to swallow a calming draught. It would not do to have these people dying in his conference room because of a slip of his temper.

He quickly popped one of his calming lemon drops (not actually drugged, but soothing to the old man) into his mouth and took a deep breath. He knew that his plot to keep the Half-breed from reentering was moot. All he could hope is that Hagrid proved to be a horrible teacher and fired at the end of the year.

****

August 28

Today marked a new era in Magical Britain. The summer months were dominated by the work being undertaken by the Potions Department. Severus Prince proved himself to be as brilliant as his hubris predicted.

This day marked the first day, since he was four years old, that Remus Lupin could no longer claim to be cursed with Lycanthropy.

**Flashback**

_“This is the last test that we can do before the beginning of the semester. Our summer students are all up to par and will require formal introduction and orientation into the general school population.” All the leaders of the various segments of the Potions research were gathered in a conference room along with the five test subject._

_“Master Prince, are you ready to proceed with the final ritual?”_

_“Yes, Grand Master Blake. The subjects will need to ingest the final formula, which has been prepared to the specifications of the text, and then submit to the conversion ritual.”_

_Lupin looked at both Potions Master as the bantered back and forth. He was beyond nervous. Over the last two months, he had been poked with needles, drunk the vilest of concoctions, and endured quakes from extreme detoxification treatments to rid him of the toxic Wolfbane he had been taking for years. He hoped this will be the breakthrough he was hoping and praying for since he was eight and could understand his plight._

_An apprentice entered the room carrying five small vials. One for each test subject.Lupin took his in hand and waited patiently (impatiently) for further instructions._

_“Okay, listen up. You will drink the potion in hand, all of it and then proceed to one of the ritual rooms afterward. Drink the potion in your own time, there is no rush. Please note that once you consume the potion, there is no going back. The ritual must be done or you will die. Also, you have to willingly enter into the ritual or the consequences will be detrimental. If you wish to no longer participate, this is your last opportunity.” With his lengthy monologue done, Prince turned and entered one of the attached ritual rooms._

_Without hesitation, Remus downed the potion and walked towards the room Severus entered._

_“Take off ALL your clothing, and lay in the center of the pentagram.”_

_The ritual Master was an old Druid from Orkney whom Remus interviewed himself. He made eye contact with Severus and gave him a nod of respect before starting to disrobe. He knew that Severus would do his best in ensuring the ritual went smooth and so he choose the room he would be in._

_Severus POV_

_Lupin entered the room seconds after I did. My heart quivered just a tiny bit at the level of trust this powerful man had in my work, and in me. I was so focused on the man that he missed the words of Master James( Druid)._

_My breath caught in my throat as Lupin easily removed his outer robe and shirt in one go. His chest was well sculpted with bulging muscles that were almost well hidden by a layer of brown hair. The hair covered the pectoral muscles and down the abdominals and trailed off into the desired unknown._

_Before I could process the image before him, Lupin proved that he was still youthful and a FREE spirit at heart. His trousers were around his ankle and off to the side in swift, economical motions, and wearing no undergarments. When the man straightened, I almost swallowed his tongue. To say he was well endowed would be a gross injustice to the man._

_Neutral POV_

_It was then Severus realized that he wanted Lupin to possess him. He wanted to belong to Lupin, Remus, in the best and worst ways._

_Lupin POV_

_As soon as I disrobed, I smelt lust in the chamber. It smelt distinctly Severus. It was good to know that my mate found me sexually appealing. If all went well with this ritual, Severus would be squirming under me before the night was out, screaming my name and begging me to claim him._

_I followed the instructions of the Ritual Master in a lustful haze. Today seemed to get more promising as the time passed._

**End of Flashback**

****

The ritual was more successful than anyone could have imagined. It seemed as though the curse drew its power from the phases of the moon. As the ritual was completed on the day of the full moon, the curse would be at maximum power.

The ritual was designed to break the chains of the curse and release the power it possessed, which would work in tandem with the potion taken before the ritual to repair all the damage inflicted on the body by the curse.

The fluctuation in the power of the curse, however, was not accounted for. The result was that the excess power had no outlet. It, therefore, did something else. It reconstructed the Magical core and expanded it. Considering the power of the curse was about two-thirds Lupin’s original power, the man’s core increased by about one-third, changing his power classification from Sorcerer to Warlock. Equal in power to the current Headmaster Flitwick.

If Severus thought Lupin was attractive and powerful before the ritual, he was in for a treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The latin should translate to "Flee this body and return to your master"
> 
> Let me know what you think and what you would like to see happen with the characters. Also, I don't know if i did 'sexy' Lupin right so let me know how awkward it was lol.
> 
> Till next time!!

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sort of revised version of my first fiction The Art of Preparation, let me know what you think. its just changes in spelling and sentence structure.


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